An Unavoidable Fate
by Rurikredwolf
Summary: Reboot of the other Malefor story. What if purple dragons were not created by magic? What if they were created some other way? And what if Malefor wasn't as history depicted him; what if he was a hero; a Paragon? In his final year of classes, Malefor is called to arms against an Ape uprising, and a cult of dragons who want him dead, believing him to be their destroyer.
1. Prologue

**Oh hi this story isn't dead if you find it. As of the new year of 2014, I am going to go back and edit bits and snippets of it for flow/storyline purposes. Thankfully, the plot had just begun here, so we can see how it all goes in a slightly new direction. I mostly edited it to make it distantly linked to Forgotten Memories, my other story. Title is lame as well.**

**Lets get cracking, shall?**

A claw burst from under the rubble as a loud gasp for air could be heard. The claw belonged to a red scaled dragon, who was struggling to pull himself out of the rubble. The best he could do was remove the debris from his upper body. Every breath was labored, every movement strained, and it felt like his spine had been severed. Panic coursed through his body, but he was thankful to see that his legs could work.

The dragon, Josiah, managed to open his eyes after resting for a moment. His eyes were a fiery orange color, yet they seemed dull instead of ignited. When his eyes adjusted to the night sky, he remembered that he was in a temple before the whole place collapsed on him. Josiah remembered just walking down the hall to his sleeping quarters and then…nothing.

Noticing that no one was around, the panic that he felt before returned. Yet, no matter what he did, he could not get the charred rock off of his body. Trying to clear his thoughts and focus, Josiah attempted to breathe fire onto the rock. Thankfully, the flames were enough to melt it a tiny bit, yet it was still too heavy for lifting. Digging his silvery claws into the molten patches, he started tearing out chunks of rock. Combining the effort of his flames and claws, the rock began to become more manageable.

Five more minutes passed before the rock was small enough to be rolled off of his body. Josiah screamed in agony when the rock slipped from his grasp, rolling down his back left leg, nearly crushing it with numerous cricks and cracks. Hearing the crunching of other pieces of rubble sent pangs of sorrow through his body; he may have just killed someone on accident.

Josiah was one of the fire guardians of the eastern temple. The temple, before it was destroyed, was made of beautiful white stone. It had five sections, each belong to their respected element. Fire, Ice/Water as they were considered the same, Earth, Electricity, and Air were the elements that most dragons possessed, but there have been reports of other elements. However, none of the 'new elements' were confirmed.

Gathering his strength, Josiah lifted his upper body off the ground, getting a good view of the ocean. The moon cast it's reflection against the calm waves. If he could, he would have laughed at the contrast. Feeling his lower body, he found that his back right leg and part of his tail still worked. The leg that the rock rolled off on was unresponsive.

Rolling over onto his stomach, he let out a growl when his wings hit the air. Weakly turning his head, Josiah saw that his wings were a mangled mess. Most of the scaling on them was gone and the nerves hitting the air were enough to drive him to tears. Looking around one more time, he dimly noted that some of the temple was intact. The main chamber had half of its ceiling caved in, but there was a chance that some survivors grouped up there.

Lacking the energy to stand up, Josiah crawled to that part of the temple. He couldn't even feel some of his scales being torn off. Every time he found the ability to call out, it faded when he opened his mouth. It felt like someone had filled his maw with sand. Every few yards, Josiah had to stop and choke back a whimper of pain.

After what seemed like hours, he entered the collapsed meeting room. When he did, he couldn't help his eyes from widening. The egg clutches, all brought here earlier for a ceremony, were crushed. Egg shells littered the ground and unborn infants lay scattered. No explosion could have tossed hatchlings so wildly.

Then, it slowly dawned on him. The dragons were at war with the apes, a race of brutal yet intelligent mammals. They never really showed their intelligence when they send in soldiers, but when explosions such as the one here came into play…it was brutal. Their uncanny precision and destruction was something unseen. It was almost as if they had an inside eye! Darting his eyes, he was relieved to see that there were no apes waiting in ambush.

Creeping closer to the remainder of the Pool of Visions, he saw himself in the reflection. His red muzzle had a silver horn on the top of his nose and two from the back of his head. The top horn curved up while the bottom one curved down. Then, he noticed something that he failed to take into account: a thin piece of rubble had pierced his mid-section. How this happened or when was beyond him. Josiah screamed in pain, the sudden realization sending waves of agony through his system.

"Josiah, is that you?" a female voice asked. Movement came from behind him.

Craning his neck back, Josiah let out a hopeful chirp. There, wandering towards him, was a female earth dragon named Terra. The sight of her dusty green scales and brown ram-like horns seemed to melt the pain away. Of course, that all faded when he saw her leafy wings were torn and the flowers that grew down her spine and to her tail were all but dead. However, what made his scales pale was what happened to her face.  
Her eyes were seared shut.

"Terra…" Josiah whispered. She turned her head to him, wobbling towards him. How she found him was beyond him.

"Where are you, Josiah? I can't see…" Terra called out, feeling around with her claws.

"Ten yards to your right," the fire dragon replied.

About halfway to him, she suddenly tripped. Josiah couldn't react in time to stop her fall, so she hit the ground head first. His eyes widening again, he started to crawl to her. Adrenaline surged within, and within seconds he managed to clasp his claw around hers. Terra's muzzle rose, pulling herself closer. If this had been any other time, he would have blushed.

"Is it really this dark? I never knew the nights could be like this…" she asked. Could she really not feel the burns on her eyes?

"Terra…you're….you're…." Josiah had no way of putting it gently, so he touched the burnt flesh. She squirmed in response.

"Ugh…I must have been hit really hard by that ape…." Terra rubbed where he touched with her claw. As soon as she did, she froze. "...Why don't I have scales here? Josiah, what happened? Why is it so dark? Why can't I see anything?"

The sound of her voice getting more and more hysteric made the situation darker. "Terra…your eyes….they're seared shut…" he said as gently as he could.

"…You mean…I'm BLIND?" Terra screamed, clutching her face with her claws, "No, this can't be…I was just hit hard with a club or a rock…my vision will be returning shortly."

Josiah could only tighten his grip around her claw. "Terra…you were likely hit with an explosion. You can't feel it because the nerves were all but burnt away…"

Terra didn't reply, but instead wrapped her claws and wings around his upper body. A warm, comforting sensation filled his body, and he gripped her tightly to ease both of their pain. Being surrounded by dead hatchlings, his body a mess, and no form of communication…it wouldn't burn these memories away. They just had to hold out for a day or two…the other guardians would be aware of the attack…

_CRACK!_

Both dragons looked to see an egg hidden in a pile of destroyed eggs. "Oh look…the hatchlings made it…" Terra smiled warmly. Her smile made Josiah grow cold.

Still staring at the egg, Josiah was able to make out that it was a purple color. Shaking his head in disbelief, he motioned Terra to crawl alongside him. Whenever they came across egg shells or a body, Josiah would motion her to stop and gently remove them from the way. Handling the hatchlings brought more silent tears to his eyes. He wanted to throw up or be nowhere near this area, but if this egg had survived…it was worth the nausea.

Soon, they reached the egg and the fire dragon placed it in front of them. "Terra…the purple dragon...he made it!" he whispered to her. Watching the egg squirm as the hatchling struggled to break free brought hope through him. The project was not lost after all!

"He made it? That's fantastic! Oh, I wish the others could see this…" Terra reached out to touch the egg, but missed completely. Josiah guided her claw to the egg just as a small claw came out of the shell.

As the dragon hatched, he had a dim thought that they were parents watching their child hatch. As hard as he tried to dismiss the thoughts, they remained, and he took a long gaze at Terra. The red burns were about third degree, but maybe with some red gems, they would at least scar. A small cry turned his attention away from here and into the golden eyes of the purple dragon.

He was a dark purple color and had three white horns on his head: One from his forehead, and two from the side. Small spikes grew on his shoulders and back, with the tail being a large spike. The claws were black in color, like hardened shadow. Josiah wasn't quite sure what to think of the hatchling, but the look in his bright blue eyes was wide and inquisitive.

With a small grunt, the hatchling sniffed the air before going to the ground, shakily walking towards them. When he got between them, he curled up and fell asleep. The whole situation brought a smile to Josiah's muzzle. Amongst all this death, life survived. He saw Terra find the hatchling's head and stroke it. The hatchling leaned against her.

"What should we name him?" Terra asked.

"Malefor?" the burnt gaze Terra gave him brought more of a smile, "What? We need a name to scare the apes!"

"True…but I would rather wait until we consult the others about this."

Josiah nodded, respecting her decision. At that time, he heard movement coming from all around them. Tensing, he prepared to defend these two to his last breath. The sounds came closer and closer to the entrance and when a figure stepped into view, Josiah let off a fireball. The figure instantly jumped back, shouting. Instantly Josiah felt stupid. He recognized that voice.

"Infernacus…is that you?" Josiah called out.

"Yes!" came the reply as the dragon in question came into view. He was a red dragon like Josiah, but darker in color. Also like Josiah, he had fiery orange eyes, but they seemed to have fire crackling within them. The horns, underbelly scales, and claws were black, matching the wing membrane. On the top of his head, fur grew. This was also starting to occur on the bottom of his chin. The fur stopped at shoulder length. Down his tail, spikes ran their course. On the tip of his tail, it ended in a shape similar to a half moon.

A small group of dragons followed the other fire guardian in, a few wincing at the sight before them, Infernacus included. "What happened here?" Infernacus asked, slowly walking towards them.

"Apes."

Every single one of the dragons had a mortified reaction. He didn't have to explain the whole situation; that word described enough. Josiah watched Infernacus pull a red gem out of a bag he kept, giving it to each of them. Once he did, he looked in between them and Josiah thought his eyes were going to pop from how big they got.

"Josiah, is that a…?" Infernacus looked between Josiah and Terra.

"Yes…it's a purple dragon," Terra explained, using the gem. Her burns shrank and scarred, but her eyes still did not open. The expression on her face showed the fear that coursed through her body.

"…I don't believe it." Infernacus blinked before motioning to the other guardians to aid them, "I expect a full report of what happened here when you recover." He said to Josiah.

"Aye…I'll do that for you…"

**Infernacus belongs to my good friend, and lover of butts, Weirdhyena on Deviantart. You may know her Feuriah's Dawn series, which if you don't, check it out!**


	2. The New Element

**I have melded chapters 2-4 together into this one large chapter. So you can consider the reviews for 2-4 to be in it, and chapter 5 was stating that I quit fanfiction. This is obviously not true. So please consider this while looking through the reviews.**

A small crowd stood in the sun outside a large, circular bronze temple, cheering on a fight that was occurring. Those stuck in the temple would poke their heads out to see what the fuss was about before returning before what they were doing before. Standing in the ring made by the crowd as a purple dragon was a bored look on his face. The dragon lacked the muscles that the fire dragons had, but didn't quite have the sleekness of ice or air. Slanted, blue eyes watched a muscular red dragon step into the ring and point a wing at the purple dragon.

"You have a lot of nerve hitting on my girl, freak!" he called out. There was some 'oooh's' from the crowd.

"Hardly a respectful way of referring to her." The 'Freak' replied with a wicked grin, "Maybe calling her by her name and not treating her like property would make her want you more…"

The freak, or rather, Malefor, laughed at the reaction his opponent gave. It was a mixture of stupidity and shock and all worth it. Sure, Malefor wasn't as physically strong as this other dragon, but he was cleverer. Under his black-purple claws, he could feel the water collected by the dirt start to focus under the jaw of the other dragon.

Two white spikes grew on his shoulders and foreclaws, and a trail of them coated his spine, from his neck to his pointed tail. He had three horns, two growing from the back of his head, and one going back from his forehead that reflected a silvery light. Malefor's long, narrow purple-scaled snout smiled coldly, sharp fangs poking from his muzzle.

"Liar! I doubt she would want to go with some genetic freak like you!" the orange dragon, who was named Gerald, exclaimed. Malefor rolled his eyes at the insult.

"Yes, well you are also stupid enough to call me that. Tell me, did you hear it from one of the guardian's yelling a few years ago?" Malefor knew that acting calm was a surefire way to piss off an opponent. "And she did indeed 'go with'. I think how it ended was…ah…something like this…"

A burst of water struck the dragon in the face. Silence came from the crowd until Malefor stopped the mini-geyser, returning the water to the soil. After that, the crowd erupted in laughter. Malefor gave off a mocking bow, shutting his eyes for just a second. However, when he was distracted, Gerald tackled Malefor. Malefor felt one of Gerad's spikes on his foreclaws pierce his chest scales.

Reacting out of pure instinct, Malefor stabbed Gerald in the leg and placed his other claw on the ground. A fist of earth rose up and hit the dragon between the legs, granting Malefor the opportunity to kick the dragon off of him. Growing, he tore the spike from his chest. Blood oozed to the ground.

"ENOUGH!" a voice that Malefor both dreaded and hoped to hear yelled. Seconds later, a feathered form dropped in between Gerald and Malefor, sending a gust of wind in all directions.

Malefor took in the appearance of the form for the billionth time. It was a light grey feathered female dragon with runes decorated on her fragile form. All of the runes represented the element of Air and glowed a bright white. Her horns were straight and had three on each side of her head, each one silver and having a ring on them. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about her was that her wings were not on her back; rather, they were attached to her foreclaws. The feathers on them were white. Malefor tried to step into the crowd before he was noticed, but before he could, green eyes locked onto him. Contrary to popular belief, she was not blind.

"Oh for…Malefor, what did you do NOW?" he knew she was referring to his chest.

"He started it." Malefor instantly pointed at Gerald, who was on the ground.

"Yeah, and it looks like you finished it quite severely."

Malefor's mouth twitched. Aure was the type to hound after him, and while he knew she was just looking out for him, it annoyed him to no end. It had been like this since they were hatchlings, although she was about four years older. Now, she only got worse.

"Hey, he attacked me. I reacted in self-defense. Just because you are a guardian now doesn't mean you have to chase down my every move." Malefor shrugged, meeting her gaze.

Aure was the newest air guardian in this temple. The runes on her body were grafted as a part of the ritual. Frowning at him, the runes turned a black color. To Malefor, it wasn't very subtle. However, his word was almost null when it came to tradition. From the look of irritation on her muzzle, he struck a nerve. A small wall of air hit him. It wasn't enough to do anything other than make the grass fall over.

"Very unprofessional." He commented.

"You deserved it." Aure checked on Gerald. Why she did that, Malefor had no idea. He would be fine if someone tossed a red crystal at him.

"I did, but still…I'm a student; you're a teacher."

"And I could report this whole incident to the guardians. They won't like that." Aure whistled.

From the looks on the other student's muzzles before they started to disperse, they didn't understand why they were being so cold with each other. It was a weird form of trust that neither really understood but did it anyway. Malefor guessed that since they were very close friends, they knew that they never meant any of it.

"When you're done checking on dumbass here, I'll be on top of the temple," Malefor announced. She nodded in response.

Malefor took off, not even bothering to grab a red crystal. Aure, being a guardian and having it be her duty to protect the students, would bring him one. This wasn't the worst injury he had suffered; hell, a strike to his stomach nearly crippled him. The air against his wound stung but, at the same time, felt refreshing.

Landing on a pole, Malefor perched like a gargoyle. The pole was on top of the main dome and was his favorite place to be. This was a real mystery; he, for some reason, loved this pole like a hatchling would a ball. From this spot, he can overhear the guardians at night and had a perfect view of everything. Off in the distance, a large city could be seen being built.

This city was called Warfang. It was a pretty dumb name, but there was no denying that it was gorgeous. From what he had seen, he would have loved to be there. Supposedly, it is to be a capital city and where all the guardians and leaders would meet to agree on subjects such as Malefor and the apes. While Malefor had gotten used to everyone looking at him oddly, especially the guardians, it was a repetitive subject. Apparently, purple dragons were not supposed to exist; yet, here he was.

The only guardians that accepted him were Terra and Josiah, who adopted him at a young age. They never outright told him until two years ago, but Malefor had figured it out long before that. Another major hint was that his first element was ice rather than fire or earth. As such, he had to go study under Dante, the ice guardian. From him, Malefor sort of molded his personality.

"Are you really acting tough by not grabbing a crystal?" Aure landed on the roof below him.

"No, I just know that you are obligated to treat a student's wounds." Malefor smiled down on her. She swatted him with her tail. Unlike Malefor, she did not have a spike; she had fur there. From what he felt numerous times, that tail was a whip and she was quite dexterous with it.

"Yes, well, in a year, you will be on your own." Aure reminded.

Malefor knew what she meant. In a year, he would be graduating from the temple and read to take a test to see if he wants to be a guardian. It was Malefor's dream to be a guardian; he could control all of the four basic elements, and could learn the others. Earth, Aqua/Ice, Tempest and Fire…he was brimming with potential, but he never had the chance to prove it.

"You're right about that…" Malefor laughed, "But you wouldn't let me die, would you?"

Aure tossed him a glowing red gem, which he caught and absorbed into his body. The wound vanished. "I suppose not. You are my widdle brother, after all." She poked his head. Malefor swiped at her for the comment. From the years growing up, she acted much like a sibling to him, being the first not to react at his appearance. He would be lying if he didn't consider her a bit more, though.

"So what's this about seducing another female? Gerald woke up and complained." Aure narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey, I actually didn't bring it up this time. She came to me!" Malefor pointed his wings to his chest in a comical manner.

"I'm sure she did."

"No I am serious; apparently he was being a tool." Malefor hopped down and sat next to her. "She saw me in the hall, and for whatever reason, wanted me to comfort her."

"Then you slept with her?" Aura raised an eyeridge.

"Quite the contrary; I talked with her, and had to escort her to the female dorms. Found a group, asked them to take care of her." Malefor explained with a shrug. "Aleria. That was her name."

Aure clapped slowly. "I'm surprised."

"I told you I don't do that nearly as often as the rumors say…" Malefor frowned at her. "Unless that was an offer." He added with false seduction.

Aure cut him off with a wave of her claw. Malefor sighed, but then he saw her wink at him, "Perhaps if you pass your test to be a guardian, I'll go on a date with you. Think of it as incentive." She added teasingly.

Malefor blinked before smirking. "Fair enough."

For a few moments, they sat in silence. The sun started to set and soon Malefor would have to go home. Still, he wanted to go exploring through the abandoned mines near Warfang once more. There was always something in there to practice his skills on. On some occasions, Aure would join him. Once, they found an old adamantine pickaxe; it was hanging in his quarters and when they were younger, they would trade each night.

"We should really go back to the mine sometime," Malefor said almost unconsciously.

"I wouldn't mind. I want a treasure of my own." Aure mused with a tilt of her head.

"How's about after your meeting tomorrow?"

"Hmm…yeah, it's a deal."

* * *

Malefor woke up with a start in the dead of night, drenched in cold sweat and blood around his maw. Coughing up a tiny bit of blood, he wiped it off with his claw. Quickly running his eyes over the room, he saw that no one was in it. Normally, it would send waves of relief through someone's mind, but not Malefor. If he was coughing up blood and sweating, and no culprit, that could only mean one thing.

_Shitshitshit…_his mind raced as he flopped out of bed, landing heavily on his stomach with a hoarse cough. One claw on his chest, he used the other to hobble around his room. It wasn't particularly large, but then again, he didn't have a lot of things. A small bookshelf, a desk to do the dreaded thing known as homework, and a window was all he really needed.

Reaching behind the desk, he found a small, soft cloth that he used to wipe the blood off of his claw and maw. It wasn't much, but cleaning it tomorrow without anyone noticing was going to be hell in a hand basket. Staring at the blood, he panted heavily, head pounding.

Walking out, he found his home was completely silent. Much like his room, it was quite small; his room connected to a marble hall, which was connected to two other bedrooms. One of which belonged to his parents, the other of which belonging to his step sister. Silence from them both other than the gentle sound of their breathing.

Malefor snuck quietly down the hall, for once being thankful of his smaller frame, passing the dining room. A small table, washed thoroughly by Malefor earlier with his element, a couple of cushions, and some paintings of the family could be seen. Malefor hated having his portrait taken; never got his look right, and he couldn't sit still for it.

Making his way to the washroom, he found a medicine cabinet behind the mirror. There, orange crystals were stored, but there was only one left. Rubies healed physical, Emeralds replenished E.E., or Elemental Energy, and Citrines…Citrines healed illnesses. For every five Rubies or Emeralds, there was one Citrine. As such, they were very expensive.

His family would notice it missing.

"It happened again, didn't it?" A soft female voice said from behind him, causing him to nearly latch onto the ceiling.

"Damn it mom!" Malefor hissed and whirled, spotting the blind guardian standing in the doorframe. Her eerie awareness, and her seared eyes never ceased to unnerve him a bit.

"Quiet; you'll wake Tirer!" Terra hissed before walking in, seemingly knowing exactly where Malefor was. "Anyway…I heard you coughing."

"Yeah…forgot about your super hearing…" Malefor silently slapped himself.

"Take the crystal." His mother urged. "Go back to sleep, and I'll have Ventus give you a satchel of them." She gave him a quick, affectionate hug. "I will have to tell your father, though."

"Wonderful." Malefor rolled his eyes, returning the hug lightly and absorbing the crystal. The tightness in his chest retreated, and he felt his fever drop instantly. Breathing suddenly became a thing!

Bidding goodnight to his mother, Malefor dropped back onto his bed, sleep overtaking him instantaneously.

* * *

Dawn came too quickly.

Slowly moving from his bedding, he walked out of his room. There, his parents were looking at him. Josiah looked highly concerned, and his older muzzle looked haggard. If Malefor had to guess, Terra told him what happened, and he hadn't slept since.

"Morning," he mumbled, approaching the table they were sitting at. The silence he was given was enough of an answer.

"Your mother says it came back?" Josiah asked quietly.

"Yeah…it's back." he confirmed. Another silence fell over the table. Trying to distract himself, he tore into the haunch of meat in front of him.

"I'll tell Ventus when I meet him this morning." Josiah got up, stabling his back left leg and giving his mate a nuzzle.

From what Malefor was told, Josiah had lost all stability in that leg. As such, a local scientist devised a support for the leg. It looked like armor on the leg, but tiny beams made him stand up straight. Pistons on the side allowed him to bend down, although he was limited. Holes in the armor allowed it to 'breathe'. As cool as it was to Malefor, getting his leg crushed by a boulder was not something he wanted to go through.

"Terra can stay home with you if you need to." Josiah added as he disposed of his plate.

"No!" Malefor slammed his claw on the table defiantly. Both of his parents reacted in mild surprise. Calming, Malefor continued in a softer voice. "I can't skip school. You know who and everyone else will come knocking and I don't need their pity."

Malefor wanted this kept hidden because the last thing he needed was Aure or someone else smothering him with worry. Plus, he didn't want to disappoint Aure from going into the mine. If he told her, she would immediately turn into her overprotective stance and force him to stay home. The last time he got it bad, she literally forced him into the infirmary for a week. Of course, Malefor left three days before the week would be over and didn't show himself until after three days. He was smacked. It was hilarious.

Josiah gave him a concerned look, but slowly nodded with a growing smile. "I'll keep it quiet." He promised. Malefor gave off a small smile, puffing out his chest.

Claws skittered across the floor as a small bolt dashed into Malefor, nearly knocking him to the ground. Attached to his chest was a tiny female dragon who had her claws and wings wrapped around him. Her emerald scales contrasted against his purple scales. Her horn, wing membrane, claw, and underbelly scales were also the same as Terra's. However, the eyes were the same as Josiah's.

"Good morning to you too, Tirer." Malefor tried to peel the younger dragon from his chest.

Tirer was the biological daughter of Josiah and Terra. She inherited most of her mother's looks, but her element was fire like her father. She was only a few years younger than Malefor, but as she didn't hit her growth spurt that most dragons go through, she only came up to his shoulder.

"Hi Hi Hi!" she squirmed against his struggles.

If there was anything Tirer was, it was incredibly clingy; in Malefor's case, literally. At first, it was embarrassing, but he warmed up to her and knew this was a regular occurrence. Everyone who knew her knew how she acted. It was a game that they played to attract her attention and bolt before she caught them. When they were younger, he and Aure would do it and run away.

"Dear, can you stop constricting Malefor's breathing?" Terra asked, running her claw over a brail book.

"Okies!" Tirer unglued herself, landing in her back on the floor. Then, she noticed that Malefor was grasping his chest. Instantly, she turned serious, "Malefor, is it…?"

"Yes."

Once more, the mood suddenly changed to depressing as they all ate in silence. Malefor was extremely lucky that his parents weren't the type to freak out whenever he got ill. They remained calm and got the medicine. When he was younger, they were all over him, but he must have told them off enough.

When he was done, Malefor quietly left the table and spread his wings. Tirer was right beside him while Josiah watched Terra rise and approach. There were times that all three of them thought Terra was pulling their tail with being blind; this was one such time. When they were all ready, they took off at the same time.

However, Malefor quickly pulled head with Tirer. Figuring she already knew, he spoke. "Tirer, can promise me not to tell anyone about my condition?"

Tirer looked at him oddly before slowly nodding, "Yup! I know how you hate having everyone worry about you."

"Let's not go there, okay?" Malefor replied with a growl, but smiled afterwards.

When they landed at the main temple, they parted ways. She had to go to history, whereas he had to go straight to…training. Malefor placed his claw to his head and groaned at this. Maybe he would have to tell the instructor that he couldn't do as well as he used to. That would lead to being asked why, and then Malefor would want to tear his horns out.

Trudging down to the fields, Malefor saw that Gerald was also there. Malefor really hoped that a confrontation between them would not happen; sure, he could beat him, but he just wasn't in the mood. Thankfully, he turned his gaze at the sight of the purple dragon. One or two females tried to gain his attention, but he wasn't even in the mood for that either.

Soon, the instructor, a wind dragon named Ventus landed, a smile plastered on his black feathered maw. Ventus was another cheerful dragon who Malefor half wanted to bring down from the clouds. Sure, there was nothing wrong with being happy, but when nothing gets him depressed, it gets a bit irritating. He didn't know why he felt that way towards the elderly dragon, but he just did. Maybe something about his green eyes.

When he started to call out attendance, Malefor silently started to drift away. Only when his name was called three times did he register it. "Malefor, could you come here please?" he asked when Malefor woke up.

Trotting over, Ventus gave him a small satchel. When he opened it, Citrines glittered in the sunlight. "He didn't tell me what it was for, but it doesn't take much to figure it out," He muttered to the younger dragon.

Wrapping it around his neck, Malefor walked back. Already murmurs were going around. Out of instinct, he told the dragon closest to him to shut up. He looked at him oddly.

Right after that, Ventus made them warm up. This included stretching, something that Malefor personally enjoyed, running twice around the field, and flying back and forth ten times. His chest burned by the end of it, but at least he wasn't hacking up blood. He wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but that, again, would confirm it was back. Not that it was a big secret anymore.

"Alright, we are going to play another round of 'capture-the-flag'!" Ventus shouted over the students, "Remember, no elements are allowed in this. This is supposed to train your body, not have your elements make life easier. Plus, we all know what happens when certain material catches fire…"

A smaller dragon suddenly shrank into the crowd while everyone laughed. One patted his head and he swatted it away, making cat noises. After the class settled, Malefor found himself on the right side of the field when the teams were separated. Gerald was on his team and he felt the glare that the fire dragon gave him.

"Hey, we're on the same team here…" Malefor called him out, "Let's not have a repeat of yesterday."

A few of the older students snickered, but the younger ones tried to figure out what he meant. Gerald glared daggers. Malefor deflected the imaginary daggers with his own stare. Two seconds later, the team came together and started to form a defense. Malefor was automatically selected to go on offense, but to their surprise, he came up with another proposition.

"I'll guard instead." He announced.

"Dude, who are you and what have you done with Malefor?" a female ice dragon replied not a second later.

"Yeah, seriously bro! We need you on offense!" A green dragon that he swore was the real sibling of Tirer commented.

"Not fully awake today," Malefor cut off the rest of the encouragements, "You wouldn't want me on offense when I am moving slower than fat bastard!"

They all laughed at that. Fat bastard was the nickname of the water dragon teacher who was, implied, a fat bastard. His real name was Viktor, and he was cruel, strict, and Malefor enjoyed making sarcastic comments to every single thing he said. It got him in trouble multiple times, but it was well worth it. Once, he pushed him down a hill and innocently made the reason that he thought he was a ball. Even Josiah and Terra, when they heard that, burst into laughter and forgot to punish him.

Only a few water dragons enjoyed being near him. They were also as cruel and strict as him, but lacked the weight. The school dubbed them 'T.B.B.', which stood for 'The Bastard Brigade.' Malefor couldn't resist playing tricks on them and flying faster than a bullet before they figured out who it was. Hell, even Aure helped him on a few.

Ventus made the wind whistle and the team went off to their respective locations. The flag that Malefor was guarding with the ice dragon was green and white colored. The opposing flag was red and white, and guarded by two thin, lithe earth dragons. Not very original in design, but then again, the concept was not to marvel the color.

"Oh look, Ventus has his wyvern out again!" the dragoness, Glacia, whispered to him. Keeping one eye on the field, he looked into the air and saw that she was correct.

Wyverns were distant cousins of dragons. Serpentine in appearance, they were set apart from the regular snakes by having draconic wings and tiny claws. Their eyes were the same as a dragon's, but lacked the intelligence of the dragons. However, they weren't dumb. They proved worthy assistants and companions. Although they couldn't speak more than a word of their language unless in rare occasions, they could understand most of the teaching.

In this wyvern's case, she was found by Ventus when he was about Josiah's age as a hatchling. He took her in and raised her, and now she helped teach his class by squawking every time someone flew too high in the air, for example. Her name was Viento, which sort of fit as her scales were the same color as a rain-heavy cloud.

Resting in her claws was a small scoreboard and curled in her tail, a small piece of chalk dangled.

"Here they come!" Glacia whispered excitedly.

Sure enough, the opposing team was trying to take their flag. Malefor instantly stood as close as he could to it, the minimum distance being about five claws and he spread his wings to make sure no one could get close. Glacia did the same, swatting a smaller dragon with her tail. Malefor faked a lunge, making his target move back further.

These dragons were idiots. If they had a bit more aggression, they could have easily slipped past his defense. Stealing a quick glance at the other flag, he saw that his team was being a tiny bit more forceful. Had Malefor been over there, he would have gotten the flag one way or another. Then again, it was a two strike basis; if he was struck twice, he'd have to go onto the sidelines and wait about three minutes.

On that subject, that dragon that Glacia hit decided to distract Malefor, which was a bad idea. Malefor's tail hit the tip of his. Growling, he flew to the sidelines next to Ventus. Suddenly, Glacia fell and someone grabbed the flag, starting to fly back. Malefor was on him instantly, already feeling the fatigue kicking in again.

Just as he was about to catch him, Malefor coughed and he got away, crossing the line. Growing in frustration, he landed, unconsciously holding his chest. Viento chirped and put a line for the other team. When the team started to get back together, Malefor could feel himself breathing heavily. Evidently, Ventus saw this and called him over.

"Take a break, Malefor…" he whispered, "If you continue doing this, you'll just make it worse."

"I'm fine!" Malefor hissed. As soon as he said that, he coughed. When that happened, Ventus gave him a stern look that knew that his argument has been rendered invalid to his judgment.

Being forced on the sidelines sucked. Ventus joined the team he was previously on and everyone looked at him, worry on some of their muzzles. He really hoped that the air dragon didn't decide to blab about his illness. If he did, Malefor would send ice his way.

The rest of the period went by slow as hell. Malefor could have ended the game swiftly, but no, his damned illness had to be a jackass. If it were a physical object, he imagined it to be a dancing minstrel, pointing and laughing at him. Mentally flipping it off, he turned his attention back to the game.

Thankfully, Ventus wasn't the one to let age get to him; he was blocking students left and right. Gerald managed to grab the flag, but was taken down; not after he tossed it to another, of course. Glacia switched from defense to offence, her swift and elegant form dancing around her pursuers. Laughter graced her sharp muzzle, her eyes glinting as she lured them away from Gerald, who had sneaked in fron the side to grab the flag.

Malefor must have drifted off to sleep, as the next thing he remembered was being nudged awake by Viento. Realizing that the next class was already pouring in, he swiftly darted to his next class, hoping that Fat Bastard wouldn't be too strict on him.

* * *

"You are late…"

Malefor had walked into class seconds after the bell rang. There, magically standing in front of the class was a round water dragon that, again, Malefor had the urge to push down a hill. However, the energy was still drained from his body.

This dragon was Viktor, the Fat Bastard. He felt the piercing silver eyes on his purple hide and he automatically had to come out with a retort. Not the smartest choice in his life, but FB had set himself up for it.

"You are fat." Malefor couldn't stop himself. The entire class laughed and FB seemed to swell in size. It was rumored he had puffer fish genes in him. It would explain the quills on his back.

"Take your seat!" FB growled as Malefor slowly climbed the stairs. Noticing that Tirer was in this class, he laid down right next to her on the small, round platforms…but not before he had the final say.

"Sorry, I thought we were pointing out the obvious." Malefor shrugged his shoulders, rolling onto his back. Tirer looked like she wanted to tackle him but stopped herself.

"How are you holding up?" she leaned her head down so that no one could overhear her.

"Gym was terrible…" he grunted back before briefly describing what happened. Through half-lidded eyes, he saw her expression change from concern to full-blown worry.

"You should have stayed home today." Tirer briefly turned to Viktor, who was writing something on the board. Malefor tilted his head to see that he was still going off about the Great Draconic War.

The Great Draconic War was when dragons who were not of the same element fought against each other about a thousand years ago. This was back when the dragons were about the same intelligence as apes, however. Rumor has it that a powerful sorcerer cast a spell that made the leaders of each element fight each other. There was no definitive truth, but the evidence pointed to magic due to the residue that scarred the land.

From what Malefor understood, the war ended when a purple dragon like himself was born. The leaders all tried to lay claim to him, but eventually he made them sign a treaty. Thus, the first guardians were formed and there have been no wars since. Looking at Viktor's notes, he was going over a review of yesterday's class in such detail that Malefor's head hurt.

"I'm fine…just tired. I may fall asleep at any second, so if FB decides to wake me up, make a note so I know what subject we are on." Malefor waved his wing to dispel any concern.

"Fine, but you'll owe me one day." Tirer smiled, patting his head. Malefor made a sour look before lightly smacking her claw away. She giggled.

"Malefor!" FB cut through his tiredness like a flaming sword through butter. "Tell me what the name of the first purple dragon was!"

"Didn't we already go over this?" he mumbled back, not caring that he sounded like a drunk.

"You were also flirting in my class, so I want to know if you were paying attention!" the round dragon waddled to the front row so that he was standing a few yards away from Malefor.

"Fine, fine…Elderon," Malefor answered.

Elderon was the first purple dragon, but no one knew what happened to him when he turned twenty three. He just went up and vanished and searches went out for at least ten years before they called the whole thing off. This, of course, led many purple dragons to be born with the name Elderon after the first. In fact, Malefor was one of the few who wasn't. It made him feel special in so many little ways.

Viktor seemed to be angry that he knew what was going on. Then, for some reason, he burst out: "How are purple dragons made?"

Malefor eyed him oddly. The hell caused that? "Magical anomaly. I worry about you sometimes, FB. You can't even keep on topic."

"Are you sure?" Viktor sneered. Malefor didn't care enough to find out the underlying message. FB hated him and that was enough.

"Nah, I really don't worry about you."

Viktor glared before ranting on about the Draconic War. Malefor took it as the time to sign off, but every time he tried, Viktor seemed to make a loud noise to keep him awake. Eventually, Malefor had no choice but to stay awake. Glaring at Viktor, he saw that the ball dragon seemed to grin maliciously back at him.

It was there that Malefor realized that Fat Bastard knew that he was ill again. He sat right up at that realization. Not only did he know, but Aure's class was right next door, and if he were to suddenly shout it…she would come running.

_Damn it all…_Malefor's mind raced as his heart did many flips. Tirer looked at him oddly, but he didn't answer her.

"Awake, are we Malefor? Good, I wouldn't…ah…want you falling asleep during this important lesson." FB was standing right beside the open door to the next room. Malefor could faintly hear Aure.

Never before had he had so much hatred towards FB. His blood boiled with rage, his tail lashed out against the stone, and his eyes narrowed into slits. He wanted nothing more than to burst his fatness and watch him fly through the air like a balloon. Malefor wondered if that was really possible, but at the moment he didn't care. He wanted it to happen.

"What happened?" Tirer whispered to Malefor.

"He knows about my illness and is going to tell Aure if I fall asleep," he hissed back, watching as FB turned away for a moment.

"He really is a bastard…but at least we haven't-."

Whatever Tirer was going to say was cut off by a loud 'YO!' coming from the entrance of the class. Malefor turned his gaze to see the ice guardian, Dante, standing there with his indigo wing raised into the air in a mock salute. FB was fuming at the interruption, but a few of the students were giggling at Dante. One of the older students winked at him.

Dante was a thin light blue dragon with icy wings, horns, and claws. His horns were jagged, almost in a zigzag shape. Ice grew on his shoulders and down his back, clinking against each other softly. At the base of his tail, a spiked ball of ice threatened to bash down the frame of the entrance due to him swishing it back and forth like a canine.

"Dante…" FB started. "What calls for you to interrupt my class?"

Dante fixated on him with icy blue eyes. "Well, I kinda need you and the rest of the guardians. Oh, and Malefor. We found something and want the council there. Malefor…Malefor we need for another reason that may or may not be related."

Malefor's heart leapt into his throat. Did he also know he was ill? How the hell did everyone know that he was sick? Did everyone see Josiah take the crystals or did he blurt out to the guardians to act casual? Aure wasn't acting frantic around him, so maybe she wasn't informed. Either way, the minute of revelation was approaching.

Awkwardly, Malefor stood up and moved as fast as he could to Dante. At that moment, Aure poked her head through the other entrance.

"Is there a reason why my class is giggling at you, Dante?" Aure asked, eyeing Dante before focusing on Malefor. He waved at her. "Malefor, what did you do now?"

"…Yes." Malefor answered. Aure raised her eyebrow but didn't press further.

"Oh, he didn't do anything yet." Dante was about to explain something, but FB decided it was time to be…a fat bastard.

"He was falling asleep in my class! I'm sure you all know what that means, right?" Viktor snapped.

"That…he's tired?" Dante glanced at Malefor and made a gesture for him to stay calm. "Believe it or not, I would fall asleep in your class in a heartbeat. No one wants to listen to you be…well, a bastard."

Dante started to walk away after that, motioning for the three of them to follow. Malefor was right beside him, eager to put distance between him and Aure. He was too terrified to even look at her now. She was directly behind him. Her claws clicked almost in sync with his, as if she were trying to find any uneven clawsteps.

Then, she nipped at his tail to get his attention. "What?" Malefor hissed, finding it impossible to keep up with Dante.

"You're sweating, out of breath, and tired." Aure came up beside him, her eyes bearing right into his soul. "Now, what did we have before that made you like that?"

"Long walks on the beach?"

"Very funny…" Aure flashed him a quick smile, "Seriously, this is how you acted when you were ill."

"Aure, I just had gym. Calm the hell down." Malefor started to pull ahead, acting as if he were tired of her. It was normal of him to just take off, but she caught back up again.

"I want you to promise me that you are not lying and you are completely and utterly fine." At Aure's words, Malefor looked and saw Dante pretending like he wasn't paying attention. The only reason why he knew that the ice guardian was listening was because he was tilting his head back.

"Define fine."

"Healthy, not sick, not dying from an illness that we can treat but you won't allow us to because you are incredibly stupid when it comes to others worrying about you." Aure bared her fangs as if she was going to attack him if he didn't promise.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her exactly. He told himself that he would, but it was harder than expected. Instead, he decided to tell half-truths and pray that she didn't press the subject anymore.

"Fine, you caught me…I have a cold." Malefor answered after a moment, flashing a goofy smile. "I just didn't want you to start going crazy over me like you usually do."

"Ha ha…"

The rest of the walk was actually peaceful now. No longer did he have to worry about her bashing his face in and dragging him to the infirmary at the first sign of being ill. Admittedly, that would be funny and he had a few lines he could yell, but in the long run….in the long run, it would suck. Quite badly. Next time, there would be no escape three days earlier.

For some reason, Dante lead them into the main temple. Malefor had only been here a few times in his life, but each time it was as magnificent, if not more so, than the last. It was made of orange stone that was shined. The ground felt so even; soft yet hard at the same time. It was cool against his claws, making him note how warm he really was. Thankfully, no one really checked.

In the corner, a fountain of pure water sprung up from the floor. Whenever the guardians needed to cool themselves off, they would step inside and just…well, stand there. At least, that's what Malefor thought. He'd find out within the next year. He had to succeed: after all, he _was_ a purple dragon.

Glancing around, he saw that each guardian had a pedestal that represented their own elements. For example, Josiah's pedestal seemed to be made of molten fire and Terra's had plant life growing on it. The two guardians in question waved at him. Malefor waved back before wincing at the fact that Terra couldn't see it. How soon he forgets that piece of information…and he lived with her!

"Is there a reason why I am here?" Malefor asked, feeling incredibly underwhelmed as the other guardians approached their pedestals.

"Yes, there is." Josiah spoke for the guardians. "In fact, there are two reasons for you being here. The first one is that we have found a new element and we wish to know if you could absorb it."

"Oh, so I am just your test subject." Malefor frowned. "Somehow, I saw that coming."

"Yes, well…" a yellow dragon said in the back, keeping a small box under his claw. Malefor knew that this was Elektren; the electric guardian.

Elektren was a weedy dragon that Malefor could have knocked over by breathing on him. At least, that's the appearance Elektren had. Malefor could very easily see his ribs and the bony structure, but the lightning dragon was perfectly healthy. He was just…different. Like Dante, his horns also zigzagged, but they were purple in color.

Elektren's yellow eyes darted to Malefor before everyone else in less than two seconds. "Malefor, are you well enough to absorb a new element?"

"I just have a cold, so yeah."

Once again, Elektren cast his gaze on everyone before sighing and opening the box. Malefor half expected a radiating light, but to his surprise, nothing came out. In fact, Elektren seemed afraid to take it out of the box, instead motioning Malefor to come over to it. Shrugging, Malefor did so and peered inside.

There, sitting there as if expecting him, was a small orb of swirling black energy. "The hell is that?"

"We have dubbed it Convexity. We discovered it when we moved some old ruins while building Warfang. It didn't seem to react to our touch, but we are not certain of what it does." Dante walked behind Malefor, bending down to take a look again.

Frowning, Malefor shut his eyes and concentrated. He heard Elektren and Dante move away, but the loud clawsteps of Viktor started to distract him. Eventually, he too was shut out and Malefor opened his eyes. Everything was swirling with different colors. Red, blue, green…it was so distracting yet so beautiful. Murmurs came from Aure and Josiah, but he already knew the conversation.

Malefor was now covered in runes of different elements and colors. On his chest, Malefor had a rune depicting all of the elements crashing into each other over his heart. Malefor got a few chuckles from that before, as it was sort of symbolic. Yet, at the same time, he didn't want to be in this form in public. He was extremely vulnerable in this stage and any blow from any source could kill him.

Taking a small glance, he looked down at the small orb with multi-colored eyes. Each of the colors represented the elements as well. It made him wonder what would happen after he absorbed Convexity. For some reason, staring at it gave him chills. He sensed raw power, but it was extremely unstable. Almost as if use would cause it to run rampant.

Pressing his claw onto the orb, a black glow surrounded his body and slowly sank in. The orb grew smaller and smaller as more of the aura washed over his scales. When it was done, Malefor looked at his chest and gasped; in the middle of the clashing, a black circle rested. Oddly, he didn't feel any different. Other than that symbol and the occasional dark vision, nothing felt odd.

"Well?" Viktor growled after a moment.

"I feel…nothing." Malefor started to walk around, testing to see if it helped him physically. It didn't, as he was still as slow and tired as ever.

"Wonderful…a complete waste of time!" The water dragon complained. Aure smacked him lightly.

"Try using it." Terra suggested.

"Maybe later…but as of now…I just want to sleep. Is it too much to ask for me to, y'know…collapse here?" Malefor yawned, covering his maw with a wing.

"Unfortunately so." Dante nudged him to his claws when he swayed. "Now, again, we have no idea what this is, and you are the only one who can do anything with it."

"So what, do you want me to try it or something every day and report if I do a thing?" Malefor raised a skeptical eyeridge before shrugging. "Alright."

"What class do you have next?" Aure walked around him, eyeing him critically.

"Dante's." Malefor jerked his head to the ice dragon.

"Oh good, we can see if you do a thing there!" Dante nudged the purple dragon with a wide-eyed grin.

"Joy."


	3. Preperation and Anticipation

"You can stop with the tough act, you know." Dante peered down at Malefor as they made their way to the next class.

By the time Malefor had exited the Guardian Chambers, the five minute period to get to the next class had begun. Students began to fill the hallways, some staring, others deep in conversation. There were times where Malefor nearly lost Dante due to the massive amount of students that burst from their classes, but thankfully the larger dragon was easy to pick from a crowd.

Malefor glared at Dante. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Malefor, I know exactly what it is going on," Dante lowered his head to whisper to the purple dragon, "Even if I didn't, the bag of Citrines, the way you move, and everything else…not hard to guess."

"Yeah, and what's your point?" Malefor coughed a bit. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Uh huh, that's why you are carrying that around," Dante didn't buy it for a second, "Your 'cold' wouldn't do this to you."

"So what are you gonna make me do? Sit out?" Malefor ruffled his wings with irritation.

"No, but I want you to be honest with Aure and the others," Dante met his eye, "What happens if it gets worse, and your stubbornness made everyone go away? God forbid we are not there when you collapse in field and you die. Imagine the reactions."

"Viktor would celebrate." Malefor replied instantaneously.

Dante laughed heart fully. "I can see it, but the point remains. I won't give you a lecture, though; that's your parent's job."

"Oh good."

"Still, if you don't want to raise suspicion…give me the bag," Dante offered as they walked outside, "I'll hold onto it for the class, and I'll give it back after."

Malefor didn't have to think that one over. "Catch." He said as he tossed it up at Dante.

Fall had come, but the air was still warm. The grass felt pleasant against his scales, and the breeze refreshed his aching body. The leaves on the nearby trees had started to change and fall, crunching softly under their claws. The sun beat down, his dark scales absorbing the rays and sending heat through his extremities. Instinctively, he spread his wings to catch more.

Malefor cast a lazy look to the field that they were supposed to meet at. It was large and circular, almost arena-like in design. Training dummies were erected, and some were enchanted to be active. A few of the other students in Dante's class were already there, getting some morning practice in before it started. Malefor recognized Glacia in this class, but thankfully didn't see Gerald or anyone else.

By the time they arrived, it was getting crowded. Malefor found himself departing from Dante's side, standing with the other students with a slightly slouched pose. Glacia waved at him, him weakly returning it. Next to him, a pair of twins discussed being back to school and what they were expecting from the year. Malefor also noted some younger dragons here as well, obviously a grade or two lower than himself. This class could be taken at any grade, as it was required to graduate. So long, of course, as the prerequisites were met.

"Hello, and welcome to Elemental Mastery Level Two…." Dante greeted the class with a spread-winged bow. "This is much of the same for Josiah's class, but while you learned how to produce your element in his class, here you will be applying it in combat and other means."

"For example, through the year, you can learn how to produce…" Dante produced a shard of ice, which he shot at a dummy. Before it struck the dummy, it burst into tiny shards, falling harmlessly and glinting in the sun like a rainbow. Malefor was the only one unimpressed, but only because he had seen that move before. "…Something like that. Granted that is of the ice element, but the basics remain the same for most elements. Fire, Earth, and Electricity…you will not be left out, I can guarantee."

"I have high expectations from each and every one of you," Dante warned with a slight smile, "I expect nothing less than the best." He started to pace, examining the students. "That, of course, does not mean that you cannot ask for help. In fact, I encourage it! It shows an eagerness to learn, and if I cannot teach you your element properly, I have a few tutors on standby should the situation call for it."

A young earth dragon raised a wing. Dante indicated for him to speak. "You mentioned combat; are we gonna be fighting dummies, or each other as well?"

"Good question!" Dante nodded with a grin. "We'll see how the year goes. For now, we start with dummies, and maybe when we get control over the elements we can hold a mini tournament. I'll have to discuss with the other Guardians, of course."

"Well, there is no point in delaying, now is there?" Dante rubbed his wings together eagerly. "Let's spice up name calling, shall we? When I call your name, respond by standing here…" Dante indicated to a spot before a dummy, "and give it your best strike!" Then he sternly looked at the class. "I will not tolerate any disrespect, though. We are all here to learn, and all of us have our strengths and weaknesses."

The class nodded while Malefor drifted off a bit, waiting for his name to be called. The first one called was a smaller, female fire dragon who gave the dummy a solid blast. The list went down before Glacia was called, and he watched the female dragon give of a destructive icy cone. Malefor had to admit; he was impressed.

Malefor was called shortly after, and he stood before the dummy and decided which element to use. Ice was his strongest, that was for sure, as well as Water. Electricity was second, but his Earth and Fire were lacking drastically. With a quick glance at Dante, Malefor formed a ball of ice, which he launched at the dummy. It exploded on it, coating the torso in a thick layer of ice, which promptly melted off of it due to the enchantment on the dummy.

"We're practicing on Fire and Earth, by the way," Dante whispered to Malefor as he went back, "Gotta learn em eventually."

"No, no I don't." Malefor said quickly.

"Yes, yes you do…straight from the parents on this one." Dante grinned widely.

"Lovely." Malefor frowned as he took his place again, watching as the others go by.

The time went past at the blink of an eye. Malefor found himself drifting once more until he heard a dragon mock a young earth dragon who accidently missed the target and nearly took off Dante's head. The mocking was very quiet, but Malefor got irritated, especially when the earth dragon saw the jeering looks. The reaction the younger dragon gave set the fuse to the temper in Malefor's body.

"Hey, so, how are you today." Malefor suddenly turned to the bully and made his way to him. It was a stocky earth dragon, and he seemed to pale when he saw Malefor loom over him with a wide, empty grin. "How's life? Treating you well? I certainly hope not, cuz otherwise I'm gonna have to ask why you decided to pick on him." Malefor indicated to the puzzled victim.

"He nearly took off the teacher's head," The earth dragon regained some confidence, "Imagine if he were to be in combat!"

"Oh, oh, so that's what this is about?" Malefor acted surprised before continuing his pleasant and cheeky tone. "Were you listening before? Dante has told us that we are all here to learn, and not to be disrespectful. So, again, why are you doing this? Don't say criticism, cuz criticism is stating improvements."

The other dragon faltered, and Malefor wasted no time in cutting him down. "Not listening, were we? That means you are deaf, and you're not gonna be very helpful in combat. Should we mock you for that? Should we parade you around as the Deaf Master, lord and savior? No, I thought not. Bully him again, you deal with me," Malefor's eyes flashed, "Am I understood?"

Without waiting for an answer, Malefor wrapped a wing around the smaller dragon and walked him back to where Malefor was previously. A few of the students stared, and Dante looked about ready to jump in. Malefor was going to get a talk after class, he knew it. He felt no guilt for his actions, though.

"So, what is your name?" Malefor spoke in a quick, chipper tone as Dante finished up name calling.

"Trevor, but I'm called Tremor for…obvious reasons." The younger dragon quivered. The poor dragon looked no older than fifteen; a sophomore at most. He was small and scrawny, with a dull shade of brown, rock-like crests. His tail ended in a black mallet-shaped tip, and his brown wings were a bit too large for his size. His eyes, though, looked like glinting sapphires in the sun.

"Nope, gonna call you Trevor." Malefor disapproved of the nickname.

Trevor looked at him with surprise. "Why?"

"Look at me; I'm the freak of the class, so it'd be hypocritical to poke fun at you for your appearance," Malefor looked distant for a moment, "Although it is fun to shove that kind of attitude right back."

"Huh…I guess you're right there," Trevor blinked at his explanation, "Thank you for standing up for me, by the way. He's harassed me last year all the time."

"Oh, well he won't anymore." Malefor gave a reassuring smile before turning to Glacia. "Hey, you, if you saw him get bullied, would you let it just happen?"

Glacia jerked her head in surprise at being put on the spot. "Of course not!" She replied after a second of collecting herself.

"Good, good," Malefor nodded with satisfaction, "See Trevor? You get bullied again, you find her or myself, and I'll find them."

Trevor nodded, his shaking lessening at Malefor's words. Glacia spoke next, however. "So Malefor, what classes are you taking this year?"

Malefor didn't quite expect that question. "Uhh…well, you know I am in Combat Training…gym…whatever…and I have FB for History. Obviously I am here, so next I think I have…" Malefor blinked in thought. "I honestly forget."

Glacia laughed. "Well, that's wonderful. Do you have Lunch after this period as well?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Oh, I do too…" Trevor suddenly piped in before shrinking. "If uh…it's okay for me to sit with you…"

"Nope, you can join me; you too if you desire." Malefor responded to the two of them before Dante addressed the class again.

"Right, so everyone is here that signed up…" Dante nodded with optimism. "So now that is complete, today is going rather easy. I do need to address every one of you based on performance, so just sit tight. If we don't get a chance today, tomorrow we will be practicing aim, since that is what many of you seem to have problems with," He eyed Trevor before smiling supportively, "By the end of this class, though, you will be able to hit an ape from two hundred yards away!"

The class instantly broke up after that, some of the students attacking the dummies, or devolving into small groups. Malefor went off to be with himself, but found that Trevor was too afraid to leave his side after a glance over at the bully from before. Malefor sighed; what in the world did that dragon do to Trevor last year to make him earn the nickname?

"Tell you what, Trevor," Malefor suddenly spoke, "Why don't you use your earth element on that dummy there," Malefor indicated to a free one, "I'll join you on that; between you and I, I suck at Earth, so we'll be equals."

"Can you really use more than one element?" Trevor asked with wide-eyed curiosity. "I've heard of purple dragons being able to, but never seen it." Malefor summoned electricity in his claws, creating tiny sparks that nipped at the air. Trevor's eyes grew bigger. "Wow."

"Shocking, isn't it?" Malefor's eyes glinted at the pun he made, watching Trevor groan in reaction. "Not here to show off, though, so let's watch me fail."

Gesturing for the earth dragon to stand back, Malefor switched his element to earth. Raw, shifting power twisted and turned under his claws, and he could feel the weight of the world. It was enough to make his already slouched appearance droop further, and he could already tell that this was going to end poorly. Primal energy raged within him, like a cannon ready to fire.

His maw glowed with bright green force, and he aimed the best he could at the dummy. Finally, when he felt like he was going to burst, unleashed a massive shockwave. The wide blast struck the dummy, but also went past it, leveling the ground around it as the dummy fell over. Dante whirled around at Malefor, and Trevor had to yelp backwards at the destructive force Malefor had. Malefor himself heaved heavily, eyes dilating slightly.

"That…that…is my problem…" Malefor wheezed out.

"What's the problem?" Glacia asked as she walked over, assessing the damage. "That's incredible!"

"Imagine…if that was a battle." Malefor sat down, pressing a claw to his maw. No blood. "Sure I'd hit the…enemy, but I'd kill everyone else."

Glacia froze mid-walk at his statement, her snow colored mouth resembling a 'o'.

"Malefor, what did you do?" Dante finally reached them, noticing the destruction and sighing with exasperation. "Did you use your earth element?"

"Yeah…" Malefor attempted to stabilize his breathing.

Dante frowned at the damage. "This is why we need to train you in it." He said slowly.

"I know…" Malefor admitted quietly.

"Caretaker is not gonna like this." Dante added with a weak chuckle.

"Does he like anything we do here?" Glacia butted in. Dante gave her a glinting grin.

"Well, now I know exactly where to teach you on this one." Dante patted Malefor on the back as he gave the purple dragon an Emerald. "Your mother will be proud, though."

"Why?"

"Look at that! A thirty yard cone! She did the same damn thing when her and I were in this class together all those years ago!"

Malefor had the mental image of Terra doing the exact same thing in her youth, and a tiny smile tugged his muzzle. Absorbing the crystal, he turned to Trevor, who was still in awe at the attack. Stretching his renewed limbs, Malefor got to his claws with little difficulty, trotting over and staring down at the dragon. Trevor seemed to shrink unconsciously at him; Malefor scowled inwardly.

"Let's practice on that aim." Malefor indicated to another free dummy.

"Oh, yes, that is what I meant to discuss with Trevor." Dante said as he eyed the smaller dragon. "Excellent control of energy, Trevor," He complimented, "You just gotta work on that aim, but that'll come over the year." He gave a optimistic smile. "You and Malefor could train together."

"That is a death sentence to any friendship and you know that." Malefor scowled at Dante's word choice. "It's like your mother bringing home a date."

"Point remains."

With that, Dante left the two dragons alone. Malefor couldn't help that Glacia was still floating around them, but he wasn't entirely sure as to why. Simply chalking it up to what happened before, Malefor indicated for Trevor to practice his element on the dummy. The large, wooden ape-shaped dummy seemed to intimidate the dragon, but he nonetheless gripped his claws into the ground. Malefor backed up, a wing nudging Glacia back as well.

Trever swallowed and launched a spike of energy. Unsurprisingly, he missed, but it was certainly closer than it was last time. Trevor had energy for more from what it looked like, but he keep leering back to the other dragon. Malefor subtly moved over to block his vision.

"You know…you aren't nearly as much of a dick as the others say you are." Glacia whispered in Malefor's frill.

"Eeehhh, wouldn't be too sure on that one," Malefor shot back with a skeptical smile, "You shoulda seen what I did to Gerald."

"What did you do?" Glacia asked with curiosity.

"Oh, you know, lived up to my reputation." Malefor's grin grew wider as he watched Trevor try again and again to strike the dummy.

"I hope you plan on elaborating." Glacia turned to Trevor, a grin cracking.

"Perhaps over lunch," Malefor shrugged as he followed her gaze, "By the way, you don't mind me placing you on the spot there earlier, right?"

Glacia shook her head, her clear horns and membrane shimmering in the light. "No, not at all. You did the right thing, and I'm happy to help out in these situations. Probably gonna get me killed one day but…eh…" Glacia added with some amusement.

Malefor nodded his head, waiting for the class gong to strike. It came sooner than later, and Malefor could feel his stomach growling already. Dante called for the class to stop, and after scribbling a few more notes, dismissed them before giving Malefor his gems back. Making sure Trevor was with him, Malefor departed towards the lunch room, eager to sink his fangs into whatever meal was the special today.

* * *

The Cafeteria was filled with the sounds of talking by the time Malefor reached it. The small, thirty minute break had yet to begin and half of the tables were already filled. Some of the Instructors ate with the students, but most policed the square, cobblestone room. It was bigger in width, and the ceiling was somewhat low in comparison to the halls.

The kitchen itself was managed by four cooks, and all prepared different foods. Some prepared fruits, others meat. Malefor himself fancied chicken, perhaps with a side of orange. He had no idea why, but his stomach simply craved it. Glancing down at Trevor, he saw the dragon falter under the crowd, and indicated for him to follow.

Getting the meals was almost a hassle, but thankfully the line went by rather quickly. No one pushed or cut for once, and instead simply chatted to each other while they waited. Malefor was quiet, observing for any table as he ordered his meal and waited for Trevor and Glacia to finish grabbing theirs. Spying a free table, Malefor zoomed over and snagged it before anyone claimed it for their own, setting his plate down on the cool, polished granite surface.

"So, how was class with FB?" Glacia asked as took a bite of her melon.

"How do you think it went?" Malefor cut up his meal, dividing it into portions. "Saw me, started on Purple Dragon lore, and harassed me, you know…fun stuff. Got out of class early, though."

"How on earth did you manage that?" She asked skeptically.

"Dante burst down the door and whisked me away." Malefor grinned as he indicated to the patrolling ice dragon.

"Oh so that's what they were talking about…" Glacia mused to herself before staring at Trevor, who was quietly eating at a rapid pace. "You're gonna choke."

Trevor froze and grinned sheepishly, steak bits in his fangs. "Sorry…force of habit…" He apologized when he swallowed.

"I know the food isn't the best, but maybe chewing would help you savor it. Less hungry as well in the long run," Malefor said lightly as he started on his own meal, "Whelp, here comes trouble."

"Eh?" Trevor froze.

"Oh, not for you two," Malefor indicated behind him, "For me."

"That how you introduce me?" Aure stood over him, eying him teasingly. "Surprised you're eating with someone this time."

"Things change." Malefor answered with another bite.

"Oh I don't doubt it; I actually did speak to Aleria when she was in my class earlier," Aure nudged him lightly, "Just wanted to come up to tell you that I'm impressed."

"You act so surprised." Malefor tilted his head so he could stare at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You have a history." Aure pointed out. Then, she looked up and sighed. "I'll speak later; I gotta go back and set up for next session."

"We still on for later?"

"Oh you bet; I need to unwind." Aure grinned as she departed, head held high in authority.

"So uh…what was that about?" Glacia asked after a moment.

"Which part?" Malefor smiled wryly.

"Aleria," Glacia had a hopeful look, "Please do not tell me you didn't."

"No, but Gerald tried." Malefor laughed through his food. Swallowing it, he continued. "He tried to put the moves on her, and she was having none of that. Eventually found her crying because he basically started to insult or whatever; I'm going by her words. Escorted her back to female dorm, made sure she was safe, and left."

"That's…kinda noble of you actually." Trevor piped up before shrinking. "Explains the fight yesterday." Then, he tilted his head. "So you were lying about sleeping with her?"

"You give me far too much credit," Malefor snickered before nodding, "Of course I was lying. I haven't done any of that for a couple of months, believe it or not."

"Well, you haven't pulled anything on me, so I'm kinda inclined…" Glacia said with a shrug of her shard-like shoulders.

"Good, very good," Malefor formed a quick grin, "So, what about you two? First day back, how does that make you feel?"

"Miserable," Trevor squeaked out, "I hate school."

"Who doesn't?" Glacia snickered. "Love learning, hate homework."

"I can agree to that…" Malefor said as he tapped his claw. "I think I have Magic Studies next."

"Oh, I have that last today," Glacia grinned, "Tell me how bad Elektren is if we meet after, will ya?"

"I make no promises." Malefor grinned wildly before thinking more. "Right, now I am remembering my schedule. I think I got Crystal Growth or whatever it's called after that. My last class is a study break."

"Oh so you and I got the last two classes!" Trevor exclaimed with optimism.

"Sweet." Malefor nodded as he glanced at the time. The gong would go off very shortly. "Right, well, see you later on then. Class is gonna start in…now."

Sure enough, the gong rang and everyone sadly got up and started to move away from their tables. Malefor cleaned up his food and deposited it in the chute by the exit, departing from the two of them. It was kind of strange to eat with others, but at the same time, it felt relatively nice. Maybe he should do this more often.

The Magic Studies class at least looked interesting. Unlike the stale, stone-like colors of the other rooms, here it was black with various colored runes engraved on the walls and seats. They glowed a gentle hue, and a crystal in the center gave off a bright, milky white light that shockingly didn't bother him. It seemed to pulse every few seconds, and the light felt warm on his scales as if he were standing in the sun.

Elektren himself rested on a platform that levitated off the ground thanks to active runes on it. Had Malefor not been in the Guardian's chambers so many times and seen other things like it around the temple, he may have been impressed. _May_ have. The looks that some of the students gave him was almost comical; he almost wanted to put a stick in the maw of one fire dragon.

Taking his seat near the back, he saw a book titled _A Beginners Guide to the World of Magic and Enchantment: Volume One. _Examining the author, he saw that it was by someone by the name of 'Zed Whiterun'. Interesting name if he had to say so himself. Flipping through the pages, he noted that when he sat down on his platform, it emanated a purple light. A water dragon to his left had a dark blue, whereas fire had orange. He had to admit; that was kind of cool.

"Welcome, welcome…" Elektren spread his wings welcomingly as the class filled. "If you have not noticed, there is a book on each desk. If you do not have one, raise a wing now." He added in a swift voice.

When no one did, he nodded and continued. "I bet you are wondering about these runes around you? The glow on your seats? Even this Light Crystal?" He gestured to it with a smile. "Well, if you pay attention and are eager to learn, I can show you have to craft these and more."

"This class is simply to get you started," Elektren announced to the growingly eager class, "You won't be doing the complex rituals you see some Elementalists or Sorcerers do, but this will get you in the right direction should you chose that to be your path."

A few groaned before a young female water dragon raised a wing. Elektren called on her. "What types of magic will we be learning?"

"Basics, mostly." Elektren replied as he levitated the platform to a large board in the back as if looking for something before moving on. "This class with be very claws-on, and will likely tax you in many different ways. However, should you pull through and demonstrate to me your capabilities, we may go to more…complex spells." He added with a spark in his eye. "Such as maybe…I don't know…changing the color of your element." He said he conjured blue electricity in his maw.

Now Malefor was interested. He even leaned forward in his platform, watching Elektren with anticipation. It would be absolutely amazing to shoot red ice and blue flame at his foes to confuse the hell out of them! He wasn't the only one who had their interest held tight; someone next to him was murmuring about black water spells.

Elektren knew he had the attention of the class and took it with stride. "Do not worry, we will not be reading much in the classroom itself," He grinned wildly, "I do, however, expect that you keep up with the reading after class so we can jump straight into it. If anyone is having trouble understanding, see me after hours and I will do my best to assist."

"As I implied before, this class will not be easy." Elektren told them bluntly as he levitated the platform down to a desk in the center of the class. "Some of you may even drop out, and that is okay; it is not for everyone."

"I expect teamwork on certain projects as well," Elektren added in, "You are all here for the same reason, so do not put someone down, or your grades will reflect it." He threatened with an intense gaze over the class. For once, Malefor thought that the dragon had a shred of intimidation to him.

Elektren then went over the rules of the class. It was the usual; safety protocols, don't be late, consequences of not upholding rules. Malefor knew them like the back of his claw and he drifted once more, lazily scanning through the book. Indeed, he saw chapters dedicated to Light Crystals and other spells of that 'element'. However, that was halfway through the book, and he decided to wait until tonight.

Flipping back to the first chapter, Malefor saw that it was mostly describing sigils and runes. It was absolutely fascinating, and now he fully understood why Aure had them engraved. Most of them were basic; amplifying the element a tiny bit, a small barrier; simple spells. It described placing them on parchment and other surfaces, including armors and walls. Nothing that mentioned organic material could be seen; likely a higher level spell.

Elektren instructed them to try and carve a sigil into the wood he passed around with a utensil. Malefor did it eagerly, but found it to be harder than he thought. His claws were gifted with another form of art, not drawings. Guiding his claw with the steel tool, he found that the wood was resistant to his strokes. Determined, he pressed a tad harder, finding progress to be slower but steadier.

Eventually he carved his rune, and felt quite proud of himself. Blowing the dust into the wind, he admired his work. It wasn't exactly his best, but after looking around, he certainly wasn't the worst at it. In fact, if he could stroke his ego a bit, he was in the top five from what he saw.

"Don't bend your claw that way, it'll come out messy and cramp." Elektren helped a dragon beside him as Malefor sketched out another for practice. "Let your claw be loose, not firm. You will be quicker and much more precise as we go along."

Then, the Guardian hovered over Malefor. He glared over his shoulder; he hated it when someone stared over him. "Did anything happen while in Dante's class?" Elektren whispered into his frill.

Malefor shook his head. "No, nothing; I think it's a dud."

Elektren frowned. "After the effort we made to get it, I certainly hope something will happen."

"What if it kills me instead?" Malefor shot back with an evil grin.

The Electric Dragon's frown intensified. "I certainly hope it doesn't."

"You and I both." Malefor returned to his work.

After another ten minutes, Elektren stood before the class on his pedestal again. "Take your work home and practice some more," He instructed them as a gong rang, "Read chapter one as well. I expect everyone to understand the material in the next day or two."

Placing the wood and book in his satchel of gems, slung it around his neck once more and departed the class. Judging from the reactions of the crowd, they were quite excited about learning more. A few, however, were grumbling about how they had to carve things. He also hoped this would not be the entire class.

* * *

Halfway to his next lesson, he ran into Trevor again. The smaller dragon didn't seem to notice Malefor at first, seeming to just blend with the crowd. Malefor sped up to keep pace, poking him. At first Trevor nearly leaped out of his scales, quickly collecting himself after identifying the purple dragon.

"Don't ever do that…please." Trevor begged quietly.

"Noted," Malefor said with a nod, "So what class did you just have?"

"FB," Trevor swallowed, "It wasn't bad; he didn't call on me, but I could feel his eyes."

"Lucky you." Malefor rolled his eyes when he thought of earlier. "Let me guess; mountain of homework?" He indicated to the bulging size of Trevor's satchel.

"Lot of reading and answering questions." Trevor shrugged. "I don't think it'll be that hard just yet."

"Yeah well, take a closer look at the assignments and guess again…I know him." Malefor warned as they took a right and towards a garden-like area.

It was unlike any garden Malefor had seen before. The walls were filled with glass, and inside of those glasses were crystals. Not just any crystals, though; they shimmered a magical glow, and seemed to quiver ever so slightly. They burst from the ground like plants, reaching further and further up. However, they were also very hollow, and a solid whack looked like it could shatter a pillar.

There were no lights in this hall, the multi-colored gems lighting the way. It was like walking into…well, a crystal cave. All he needed was it to be larger and shaped more like a cave, and he may have made it his home. Trevor's staring seemed to echo his sentiments, as the two of them got entranced by a growth that grew all three of the primary gems. It was absolutely beautiful.

The classroom itself was much of the same. There were light crystals hanging from the ceiling, but they were on a dimmer note than Elektren's. Also unlike Elektren's, there appeared to be no desks other than the instructor's. Books were on the desk, reading _Crystalline Perfection: How to Grow and Maintain the Perfect Crystal._ Malefor didn't see an author on it, but he didn't quite care enough to look at the moment.

The instructor of the class he didn't recognize this time. She was a female fire dragon, and had glittering black scales. Streaks of fiery orange raced up and down her side, and her soft, kind red eyes flickered like fire. Sleek and thin, Malefor almost didn't catch the subtle signs of age on her. If he had to guess, she was perhaps thirty, maybe older. Not to mention that she was tall for a dragon.

Shaking her head in a stretch, her fiery crests nearly scraped the ceiling as she stood up. She grinned widely before addressing the class.

"They were not kidding when they said that the class would be full," She mused lightly, "Then again, being so close to Warfang, I should have expected this."

Then, she clasped her claws together. "Right, so, my name is Pyria. Don't bother calling me 'Instructor'," She spoke in commanding, yet delicate, tone, "I may be instructing you, but I don't like to have this…oh I don't know, intimidating presence? Superior?" She searched for the right words before shrugging, the flexible red spikes on her shoulders rubbing against her neck.

"Regardless, and no doubt you have heard this many times, I do expect everyone to pay attention and to have a willingness to learn." She paced around them, eying Malefor with interest. An unknown glint flashed over her eyes for a split second. "The course is fairly straight-forward. We will learn how to manage crystals, the extents of their use, and grow our own over the year. How your crystal turns out effects your grade, so I hope you pay attention to your lessons."

"Oh, and don't worry," She added as she studied the class, "We will be traveling to the forest and caves near us for our lessons instead of being stuck in here quite often. There are many different gems out there instead of these three, but we have never been able to replicate them. There you will also learn the difference between natural growth and our methods."

"Can anyone tell me what other crystals there are?" She concluded with a question, waiting for an answer. Malefor, against his better judgment, raised his wing first.

"There are Fury Gems," Malefor stated firmly, "Purple in color I believe. Never seen on up close."

"You'd be correct…Malefor, was it?" She asked. He nodded, and she continued, "We cannot grow them on our own. The secret to that remains elusive, but there are clusters that naturally form around our temple." She gave them a strict glare. "If we go there and I find one of you breaking them, I will fail you. Is that understood?"

The entire class nodded and Malefor had the sudden urge to break them.

Pyria's face softened with a grin. "Good. This is supposed to be fun and educational." Then, she snickered. "Don't worry, I am fully aware that that line spells doom, but I will try my best not to let that happen."

"I do have to warn you, though," Pyria began to pace once more, inspecting some of the younger students, "There are creatures out there that may be hostile. Stick together, and we should have no problems. Even an ape group would turn back if they saw us together."

Indicating to the books behind her, she instructed the class to grab one. Malefor was impressed to note that the text was made of unpowered gems, and was very smooth to the touch. Turning back, he saw Trevor being pushed a bit roughly out of the way by a taller female dragon. Fangs flashing in anger, Malefor stepped forward harshly and raised a wing, preventing her from passing. Then, he let Trevor pass, shooting her a spiteful glare before making sure Trevor had what he needed.

"What was that for?" The female gripped him on his way back.

"You pushed him out of the way," Malefor snapped back quietly, "You could have waited in line, but no, you had to push him. Do that again and I will have no qualms in telling Pyria that you shoved him to the _ground_."

Brushing her claw off brutishly, Malefor made his way back with Trevor, seething quietly. His eyes never left the female dragon, and she knew that he was staring at him. She didn't seem intimidated outwardly, but he noted a small slink to her pose. Smirking darkly, Malefor relaxed his pose as instructor continue to speak. He noted Pyria's eye on him again, but again the look was guarded. Thinking nothing more of it, Malefor saw that Trevor kept glancing a bit fearfully at the female.

"Don't worry about her," Malefor stated, "Her brain clearly operates on looks rather than manners, so she's fairly harmless."

"I'll try not to…" Trevor tried to smile.

"Before we properly get started," Pyria started up again, "I will let you know what I expect for homework. For tonight, I expect you to read the first chapter, and as extra credit, write me a small summary of what you learned. If you do that, I will give you up to five extra points on your next test." She said with a grin. "In general, though, this class will not have a lot of homework other than that. Instead I will test your skills at random, and how well you grow your crystals."

Malefor blinked. He didn't expect that. Trevor seemed to relax a bit as well.

"You." Pyria suddenly whirled on Trevor, indicating at him with her fiery tail spike. Trevor jumped. "Can you tell me how many Rubies it will take to heal a broken leg?"

"Umm…maybe three depending on the bone?" Trevor answered slowly and quietly.

Pyria flashed a smile. "I was hoping you would bring up that variable….what was your name?" Trevor gave her his name. "Ah, Trevor, yes you did raise the important question of locations of wounds. You are also correct that it would take three to heal a broken wrist or wing completely, but it may indeed take up to seven to heal a leg or tail."

"We'll be learning more about what Rubies can and cannot heal, as well as Emeralds and the creation of Citrines," She tapped an Emerald cluster beside her, "Each gem requires different factors to grow; it is why you will see one without the other quite often. Naturally, they can grow near each other if certain requirements are met, but again, we will go into that further. For the first couple of weeks, we will be studying Rubies, followed by Emeralds and so on."

The class went by really quick, and before he knew it, Malefor noted that it was almost time to go. There wasn't much else that really needed to be gone over, and Pyria even let them out early because of it. Grabbing his book, Malefor walked out into the hall, using his wingclaw to read. He may as well go to the Library; maybe get some reading done and start on his work before the Guardians kidnapped him again.

The Library was quite expansive, if square-shaped in appearance. The beige walls were painted by the art students, and the subjects ranged from characters leaping out of books to a blue, rectangular box. A statue of Elderon standing with the first Guardians stood front and center. Elderon himself was a large dragon, with wide, expansive wings and a petrifying amethyst stare. Although the statue did not show it, he was rumored to have glittering gold horns and claws, and wings the color of an inferno. It was actually surprisingly how little information they had on the physical aspects of the dragon.

Malefor suddenly felt very small before the great statue. A cold shadow fell upon him from the wings, making Malefor pause. Staring up to meet the stone eyes of Elderon, Malefor felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and disappointment. Maw twitching, he cast his gaze downward before moving on.

"What's up?" Trevor suddenly asked.

"Hm?" Malefor snapped out of his daze.

"You look….upset." Trevor trotted alongside him.

Malefor formed a quick smile. "No, no, not at all," He said cheerily, "Just reflecting is all."

Trevor didn't seem to buy it but dropped it, obviously too afraid to challenge him. Flying to the top level, they found a nice open area where the sun filtered through the windows and rolls of scrolls. The warm rays relaxed Malefor's subconsciously tense body, and when he placed his materials on the table, he half flopped alongside it with a groan. His body was exhausted, and his chest twitched with a hint of pain.

"Been meaning to ask, but that fight with Gerald…why were you there yesterday?" Trevor asked with a tilted head. "You don't stay in the dorms, right?"

Malefor chuckled. "No, but I was visiting Aure and one thing led to another." Malefor said with a gentle popping of his maw. Then he looked at Trevor. "Why do you ask, again?"

"No reason." Trevor replied with a wide smile. It was too wide.

"…You're afraid you're gonna get bullied again, aren't you?" Malefor narrowed his gaze.

Trevor nodded with a defeated sigh. "Happened a few times last year. I got a room far away from them, but I dunno if that will help too much."

"Son of a bitch." Malefor straightened with a crack of his neck. "If they do anything, you fly out that window, and you find me." Malefor said sternly. "I don't care if it is three in the morning."

Trevor nodded quietly. "Thank you." He added with a tiny smile.

"Cannot stand bullying of that degree, so it is no problem." Malefor nodded as he opened his textbook back up. "So, what do you think of Pyria?"

"Didn't she just arrive last month?" Trevor asked as he took out his own book.

"Yep." Malefor answered.

"I dunno, she just kinda seems kinda like Dante." Trevor said with a shrug. "I think the class may be fun."

"Kinda the same feelings I got." Malefor muttered. "What are you doing after school?"

"Retreating into my room," Trevor said with a hallow laugh, "You?"

"Going into the mine with Aure," Malefor answered distantly, absorbed in reading the magic book, "Haven't gone there in a while."

"Isn't it closed off after a cave collapsed?" Trevor tilted his head.

"Well, if you are a Guardian, you are allowed in there…" Malefor mused with a mischievous grin, "I'd like to see them try and stop me as well."

"Yeah, being a purple dragon would kinda give you that privilege."

"You'd be surprised what we can't get away with." Malefor said to the bewilderment of Trevor. "Like, I am still liable for getting grounded. In fact, I have a few times." Eyes cast skyward with amusement, he continued. "Not like I listened, though. I think they kinda gave up."

Trevor snickered quietly, attracting he attention of nearby students. Malefor hadn't noticed that they were speaking louder until then, and let out a sheepish grin before returning to his studies. Figuring that since Trevor was here, he may as well start on the Crystals. It wasn't easy to get into the first chapter; it was more or less basics and how Rubies functioned, and Malefor already knew that. He supposed it was nice to get a bit of a refresher and more technical on how they worked. He may as well do the paper as well.

The paper wasn't very hard for Malefor; just time consuming. His skill with a utensil wasn't the best when it came with writing, but at least it was legible. In fact, he was sort of envious of Trevor; the younger dragon's strokes and skill were quite amazing if he were honest. It didn't even look like he was putting a shred of effort in!

"I kinda get it from my mother," Trevor explained when asked, "She's also an artist, so they say I may have inherited that. Maybe a writer. I don't know right now."

"Huh…I can see either." Malefor returned to his task.

The bells tolled once more, and just after Malefor completed his extra assignment. Trevor was almost done, and Malefor stuck around to make sure that he finished. Folding the paper neatly into his satchel, the two flew down to the bottom level once more. Malefor hurried past the statue, not wanting to remain in its shadow. Luckily there wasn't many in the halls when they went back to the male dorms.

The dorms themselves were located in a different building. On each side of the temple, two long, rectangular buildings stretched for what felt like a mile, a path of stone paved towards them. There were some females near the male dorms, but never were they inside. Malefor supposed it may have been nice to stay in one, but at the same time, he was very reluctant to leave his bed. That and his parents could still burst down the door if they were angry at him, so there was little point.

A shadow was cast above him and he instantly recognized the shape. Sure enough, Aure landed before him, the wind ruffling her feathers. She looked absolutely exhausted, but at the same time, bounding with energy. Trevor took a step back at her entrance, while Malefor was simply wondering why she had to be so dramatic all the time.

"Can't you come up and say hi?" Malefor ruffled his wings.

"Maybe when you're not expecting it." Aure teased before walking over to them. "Look at you; you made a friend," She added lightly, "Guessing you're finally cutting out that solo act of yours?"

"Maybe." Malefor shot back as he adjusted his satchel. The last thing he needed was a Citrine to glint. Then, he turned to Trevor, who was remaining quiet and confused at their interaction. "Oh don't worry; she gives me hell, I give it right back. Happens when we grow up together."

"Oh." Trevor straightened back up.

"So, what time are we heading off?" Malefor asked Aure as she rolled her eyes to his previous remark.

"I'm actually here to tell you to head there now," Aure informed him, "I just need to grab some crystals, but it'd be easier if you just met me there."

"Kay." Malefor said as he watched Trevor move past them, trying to avoid detection from most of the other males. He narrowed his eyes before turning to Aure. "He's coming."

"What?" Aure shook her head, asking for clarification.

"Look at his posture, and look at how he works his way around like he is a shadow." Malefor indicated to Trevor. Aure's eyes focused intently on the earth dragon. "He has been bullied relentlessly, and if I am honest, I am afraid to leave him alone. I had to rescue him earlier from being mocked in front of the class. Do I need to bring up Kiv?" He added with a dangerous flash of his eyes. "He's coming."

Aure mulled it over before sighing in defeat. "Fine, and I supposed you want to bring that Glacia dragon you were with as well, right?" She added wryly.

Malefor shrugged with a grin. "I'd rather have them there in case the cave collapses. Say we are both trapped, but they can get help. With the ape patrols, it's nice to have a partner."

Aure bit her lip before nodding. "Fine, go get him and Glacia." She said as she got ready for flight. Then she offered a kind smile. "It is nice to see you making friends; only reason why I am allowing this." She added sweetly.

"Get out of here." Malefor shooed her away with a ghostly grin. She laughed and took to the skies, leaving Malefor to collect Trevor and Glacia.

Running into the male dorms, he found it to be an endless series of spread out doors. The rooms themselves were quite large from what he had seen before, but that also made it a problem for Malefor. The doors were not labeled, and Trevor never did tell him what the room he was staying was in. He really, really regretted not asking. Making a mental note, he continued his search.

Thankfully, he met an ice dragon in the hall, and he happily pointed out the room Trevor was in. Making sure no one was around him with the information, he dashed to the door. It was labeled '332 C', and Malefor loudly knocked on the door.

"Open up." Malefor said swiftly. He heard the scrambling of claws, and sure enough, Trevor poked his head through the door.

"Umm…weren't you going to the mine?" He asked blankly.

"Yup, and you and Glacia are coming too." Malefor walked inside and pulled out a book. "Mind if I leave my stuff here?"

"No, not at all." He said as Malefor placed his school material down. "Are you sure you want me to come?"

"Do you want to sit here and be bored?" Malefor looked him in the eye.

"No…no, not really," Trevor chuckled, "I just hope no one breaks in."

"If someone does, they also have to realize that they will have a purple dragon on their tail." Malefor reminded in a sing-song voice as they both walked out, locking the door behind them to find Glacia.

**First off, HUGE thanks to Dardarax for betaing this and bouncing ideas off of. Huge help he is…I need not feature him, cuz you all likely already read his story.**

**Anyway yay two-three years later I update this damn story. Actually had this storyline going for a while, since I restarted Memories. It was just backburner, and obviously, it has come to fruition. Updates will be slower on this story; I do not have a set schedule, but I do plan on it rather frequently. It all depends on how my juggling with Memories and original work is. Regardless, R&R this thing; it'll make it update faster. Seriously I am about to quit the damn site and just go to DA, so if you want stuff here, let me know!**


	4. Encroaching Shadows

Malefor stood before the cave entrance with Trevor, waiting for Aure and Glacia to show. It had been five minutes, scowling as another minute went by. Yet, he sat patiently, eyes locked on the temple from the tall mountain. The cave was embedded in one of the larger mountains in the vicinity, and while he had visited many times, the view was still something to be admired.

Here, he could see everything, even the town near the temple. It wasn't very big, but only the Guardians and their families lived there as well as some of the richer students. It were made of polished stone and rock, erected in such a way that they always caught the attention of anyone nearby. A massive, Obsidian gate was erected before the town of Trysfel, blocking the path between two mountains. The sturdy, black metal had been chipped in certain areas, and was in need of repair.

"Half tempted to just go in without them." Malefor said sourly. "What is it with females and promising to be soon and end up being late?"

"That's kind of a harsh generalization..." Trevor commented weakly.

Malefor glanced down at him. "True, true...simply irritated is all. I don't think it's Aure so much as it is Glacia, though, but...whatever."

"I think I see them now." Trevor pointed ahead with his wing.

Malefor couldn't see where the earth dragon was pointing at first, until two black specs he mistook to be avians drew closer and closer. He could certainly make out Aure's feathers now, noting that she seemed very, very keen on beating Glacia. Either that or Glacia was just slow as hell. Regardless, they landed before them, Aure trying once more to spook Malefor by diving straight at him. Malefor simply held his tail blade forward, forcing her to veer off and nearly smash into a rock.

She glowered at him, Malefor snickering as Trevor greeted Glacia, who seemed quite surprised to be invited. She kept her eyes on Malefor, who did his best not to notice. Not because she wasn't pretty, but he just couldn't. He couldn't explain it.

"Right, are we off?" Malefor asked.

"I just gotta lay some ground rules for our newcomers. Malefor, don't give me that look." Aure locked eyes with the purple dragon, who rolled his eyes. "Nothing special, just stick with at least one other. Trevor, you are not of age yet, so try not to get into too much trouble so we don't have the temple guardians on our tails. Be wary of cave-ins, creatures, yada-yada...You get the rest."

Like that, they were off. Malefor was stuck with Glacia for unknown reasons, Aure with Trevor. He supposed it made sense; she was a Guardian, so if anyone was going to be held responsible, it was her. Malefor had half a mind to do a thing and put her on edge, but that would only cause problems later on.

The cave was quite spacious, some old lanterns lighting their way. "So...if I were to cause a cave-in, what would you do?" Malefor said jokingly to Aure.

"I'd throw you in it and say you flew off in a fit of tantrum, never to return." Aure gave him a death glare.

"What about when they find the body?"

"I'd stick to my story."

Malefor snickered at her growing irritation, approaching a fork up ahead. He had been down both paths a few times; to the right, the lower part of the mine. To the left, the upper. Both had been plundered by them and other thrill-seekers, but unlike the average adventurer, Malefor was smart. He knew many, many secret passages in both sides, some he didn't even let Aure know of.

"The team that finds the most impressive thing wins." Malefor sneered at Aure.

"Wait, we're competing?" Trevor looked horrified.

"I thought this was just a fun exploration thing." Glacia spoke for the first time. Malefor feigned surprise at it; she gave him a playful glare.

"It's Malefor's way of compensating." Aure gave him a wink.

"Have you been spying on me?" Malefor stared at her.

"You act as if I don't talk to others."

Malefor laughed as Glacia and Trevor simply traded glances, both looking unsure of what to say or do. "No but seriously, she has a point." Aure said to Malefor. "I refuse to let you alone on your own, purple dragon or not. Call me what you want, but if you two become trapped, I don't want to come too late."

"Fine." Malefor said in an extended, whining voice. "I chose we go left, though."

"Very well."

They moved to the left, Malefor taking the lead. He saw Aure lean over and whisper to Glacia, who laughed at whatever was said. Malefor had a dim feeling it was directed to him, but he tried not to let them know he knew. If that was even the case.

His attention, however, was drawn to the large, expansive room before him. It was very warm and stuffy inside; he doubted he would be able to fly well. An old, yet sturdy, walkway extended before them, railings from old carts lining it. The room was at least two stories tall, course, grounded stone beneath them. Closer look showed that the stone was shifting.

With a sigh, he watched as a few Elementals formed, aware of their presence. Their sparkling, gemstone eyes watched with more curiosity than hostility, but Malefor knew that if he got too close, he'd be in for a fight. They weren't all the same shape, either; some were more serpentine, others looking like a beach ball. Some were stone-gray, others sandy brown.

"You think they'll let us explore?" Glacia glanced down at them.

"If you don't show hostility to them, they'll likely leave you alone." Trevor answered. "Since you have me, an earth element, they may even see us as friends."

"Oh, that's cool." Malefor looked at the elemental with renewed interest. "Can they talk?"

"Only stage three and up have the ability to learn, but these look like stage two at most."

Taking the new information in stride, he stepped ahead of the group once more, Trevor slinking along right behind him, Glacia on his flank. Aure kept watch directly behind him, Malefor swaying his hips at times when he knew she was looking. After a bit he heard her make a groan.

Laughing to himself, Malefor couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, and not by the elementals. A tingling on his spine, one he had felt many times before, would not leave him. Glancing at his companions, they didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, Glacia met his gaze when he glanced at her, eyeridge raised.

"You alright there?" She trotted closer.

"Absolutely fine." Malefor replied, stepping off of the railing and onto solid ground. "Just taking in the surroundings."

"Not buying it." Glacia pulled him aside a bit, pretending to be looking at an iron deposit. "You've been down here before; there is nothing for you to see. You're looking for something."

Malefor knew there was no point in hiding it. "I feel like I'm being watched; my instincts have never been wrong, so I'm finding the source." He whispered.

Glacia glanced about. "You sure it's not just the elementals?"

"No." Malefor shook his head. "If it was I've known. Trust me, when you fight in a war, you know how to separate."

"So what do you plan to do?" Glacia looked at Aure, who was chatting to Trevor about something inaudible.

"Find the source." Malefor harshly scanned the environment. "I still feel it. Whoever is with us, their focus is me."

"Should we tell the others?" the ice dragon asked, both catching up with the others, heading deeper into a smaller subsection of the mine.

"Aure wouldn't believe me and Trevor would panic; not happening." Malefor stopped, locking eyes with her. "Don't do it, either."

"I'm not."

"Good."

"However, I am helping you if what you say is true." Glacia gave him a daredevil-ish grin. "I'm quite capable of holding my own if someone is brave enough to attack us."

Malefor nodded. "I won't stop you, but be careful. I don't want to bring back another body."

Ignoring her question about the body, Malefor instead focused on looking for something valuable, keeping an eye out for anything. The shadows danced with movement, each second threatening to expel some sort of threat. Yet, the most they found was a Bore Worm, and a young one at that. It's plated head looked in their direction, mandibles clicking after brushing it's hidden eyes over them, but minded its own business. A few times, Malefor caught it following them, but it seemed more curious than hostile. From what he understood of the beasts, they did display a shadow of intelligence; maybe it thought they were leading it to food.

Eventually, they began to see things that interested Malefor. A cluster of Rubies, which while not salvageable, would be good to report. A hunk of silver inside of a melted mine kart glistened, but proved much more difficult to obtain than it seemed. Not even Aure, who was snickering at him, could reach it.

Leaving it for now, Malefor spotted a small path that only he could see. He had found it the last time they were down here, and 'neglected' to tell Aure. Keeping a wary eye out, he stepped inside, finding that Glacia had followed him. One look told him she wasn't going anywhere, so he gave up before he started.

"Do you know what's down here?" Glacia asked, the narrow passage nearly making it impossible to walk side-by-side. "Better yet, did you tell Aure?"

"No and no." Malefor grinned. "Give her give and she'll notice us missing, then come charging after us."

"Why do you do what you do to her?" Glacia frowned, eyes drifting to a small, glinting deposit. Alas, it was simply tin with some sort of gloss on it.

"Because if I didn't, then she and I wouldn't be friends." Malefor shrugged.

"That makes no sense."

"Did I say it would?"

Glacia snorted, not replying as, sure enough, they heard movement behind them. Malefor accelerated, not wanting to be near her; if he strained his frills, he could hear her angrily ranting to Trevor. Reaching the end of the path, though, Malefor stopped short. He could feel a quiver in his spine, and without thinking, he shoved Glacia to the side.

A large, bolt-like object shot at them, striking the cave entrance with a thunderous boom. Dust and pebbles landed on his head, the vibration knocking him off his claws as a cave-in occurred. A yelp from Glacia indicated she had been struck by something, but he couldn't quite see her, eyes focused before him.

He should have known he was walking into an ambush. He didn't even know how he missed the damn signs! He couldn't even recall them! Instead, he locked eyes with the narrowed, hateful eyes of an ape party. There were five in front, two on the large crossbow before him.

"Got you." The ape sneered at Malefor.

"Is it really that wise to attack me...down here?" Malefor turned to Glacia, finding that she was bleeding from a wound on her side. She stood on all fours, though, trying not to let the pain show.

"You can't fly, you have no room to maneuver..." The ape indicated to the low ceiling, and the lack of open space. "What can you do?"

"Uh, dragon." Malefor indicated to himself, gesturing subtly to Glacia to attack on a signal. "You're not thinking this one through."

The ape seemed to pale. "Kill him!"

On his signal, he and Glacia launched their elements at the apes. Ice and electricity flew into the air, zapping and freezing the front apes, Malefor charging forward. While this may have been a foolish move to any onlookers, what he found out was that apes tended to scatter the moment their bluff was called. No truer did that ring than here.

The lead ape dispatched, the rest scattered into different locations. Some stood to fight, Malefor fighting two at once, others panicking. Glacia froze one in a thick ball of ice, using her tail to strike at another Ape, hitting it in the face. Malefor's apes were easily dealt with, subtly noting that these were simple grunts.

Dumb as they were, they wouldn't dare ambush him with just grunts. He was proven right; a large Ape had leapt right over the siege weaponry, slamming down onto the ground. Malefor's eyes flew open, seeing multiple bombs strapped to the chest. Before he could even react, they detonated, creating a massive explosion that tore holes through his wings.

The ground buckled and caved underneath, Malefor falling alongside some of the apes. He was glad to see that Glacia had survived the blast, though, and was flying down after him. However, his back cracked against an outcropping; he felt something snap. He laid, eyes wide, numb from the pain, unable to take anything in.

Glacia landed next to him, worry on her muzzle. She spoke, but Malefor couldn't understand her. She tilted her head up, as if listening to someone, then motioned him to stay. As she flew off, the first thing he felt was pain. Ungodly, agonizing pain. It was like someone had flattened him against a bed of rusty, sharp nails. His wings were unable to move, eyes falling shut.

Dead.

Malefor was dead the moment Aure got to him. She had seen the cave-in, which Trevor was working hard to clear alongside her, as well as the apes. That little bastard had run off on his own, knowing very, VERY well that she was going to worry. She didn't care if the apes were there, how he would victoriously slay them or whatever; he was going to be locked in his room for months if she could swing it.

Then, she heard the explosion and then...nothing. No sounds from anyone could be heard. Something inside of her turned to ice, freezing her blood, numbing her senses. Trevor stared at her with concern, but she motioned for him to stand back. She didn't want to use it before lest she had to fight, but now she felt she had no choice.

Eyes glowing with raw energy, a vortex formed around her body, whipping wind and dust about. Her runes lit before growing dim, their energy being expended into the Fury. With powerful exhale, she shot her Fury at the wall, blowing it apart with devastating power. She nearly collapsed, feeling drained, but kept herself standing. Pulling out an Emerald, she regained a bit of her energy.

The color vanished from her feathers, unable to tear her eyes away from the massive hole before her. It looked like it fell at least six stories, but she couldn't see the bottom. It was like staring into an Abyss. Her mind instantly leapt to the conclusion that Malefor was at the bottom, and if he was...

"Aure?" Trevor shook her slightly. "You're hyperventilating."

Aure snapped out of her trance. "Right, right..." She said shakily. "Trevor, can you see down there?"

"No..." Trevor said quietly, as if afraid to answer. "I don't see them..."

Aure opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she saw a form racing towards them from below. She was instantly able to identify it as Glacia, Aure sighing in a bit of relief. Panic set in once more when she noted the wound on Glacia, and the lack of Malefor.

"Apes ambushed us," Glacia explained, refusing a Ruby, "Malefor and I fought em off, but a suicide bomber caused this. Malefor was at the front, and he fell three stories down. I don't know if he could survive a fall like that without reaching terminal velocity..."

Aure was already flying down the moment Glacia said he had fallen. The darkness was overwhelming, worry pulling apart her mind. Glacia led them to where she had found Malefor, but looked puzzled. Instead of seeing a body, there was only faint stains of blood.

Malefor was gone.

Malefor found himself coming to, surprisingly feeling little pain. His wings didn't feel like they were on fire, and his back wasn't broken. Instead, he found himself rather comfortable, all things considered. A mat could be felt below him, and a fire beside him. Adjusting his gaze, he saw that he was still inside the mountain, but in some sort of hidden cave. The air was thick and heavy, signifying he was deep under the mountain, but he got used to it rather fast.

What he did not get used to, however, was the fact that he was not alone. Sitting opposite of the fire was a dragon in dark cloth, bound very tightly to the body. No features could be seen, even the hood seemingly cloaked in some sort of dark magic. When he strained his eyes, he could see a mystifying set of amethyst eyes.

"You recovered faster than I anticipated." The voice was female; Malefor swore he recognized it, but there was a faint distortion.

"You know the questions I am going to ask, so can we skip the mystery?" Malefor groaned.

"No." The dragon laughed. "I'm not doing this for dramatic effect, I assure you. This is to protect myself, not to keep you in the dark."

"Right...well, why did you save me, then?" Malefor tried to sit up, but his ribs objected.

"A purple dragon falls near me, on death's door? How could I not rescue you?" She stood up, revealing herself to be very tall. The cloth around her was even wrapped around her claws, obscuring any form of scale or horn color.

"Right...well, thank you, but where exactly are we?" Malefor glanced about, finding no exit to this room.

"Under the mountain; do not fret, I shall release you in due time." The dragon said sincerely, holding a Ruby in her claw. "Absorb this; it'll help your ribs."

"Did you patch me up?" Malefor asked, accepting to the gem.

"As I said before, yes." She seemed to smile at him. "Regardless, I have you down here for a reason. I should not be here, mind you, but I feel this is important enough to defy the Council."

"Color me interested if it's lighting a fire under their tail." Malefor said deviously, still keeping one eye searching for an exit.

"I'm afraid it's nothing light-hearted." She said. "Malefor, a shadow has begun to stalk you, and it will find you." She said lowly, as if searching for something. "You must not speak of it, you must not look at it; it will consume you if you do."

"So...basically, don't look at my shadow." Malefor frowned.

"Not quite; you know what I mean when it approaches." She sat before him, giving him a serious stare. "Speaking of that, there will be a time, Malefor, when you are at your best. When everyone sings praises. Whatever you do, no matter what is said...do not answer the door." She begged.

"What will happen if I do?"

"I can't tell you; I know you have no reason to trust me, but please...do not answer that door."

Malefor glanced away, dubious of her words. "How do you know all of this?"

"Again, I cannot tell you." She seemed to smile again. "This is not the last time we will meet; on the third meeting, I will tell you who I am." The dragon got up, flicking a claw. Like liquid, the rocks melted away to reveal an exit. "You are free to go."

Malefor strained himself, managing to lift himself up. His body felt like it had never been struck at all; he began to wonder how many Rubies went into healing him, among other things. In particular, the nagging question of 'where was he' came full force. Before he could ask her, though, a resounding blue aura filled the cave. It was like being in icy cavern, minus the chill. When he looked at the dragon, he saw her fading into a white energy, scattering about before vanishing. It was like she never even existed.

Troubled, Malefor walked out of the cave, finding himself in a damp, mossy passage. Plants and insects clung to his scales, the scent of earth after the rain filled the air. Flexing his wings, he found they had nary one hole. Reaching the end of the path after what seemed like an eternity, he found himself near where he fell.

Except, it was at the bottom. Down here, what seemed like the motherload of Obsidian surrounded him. His jaw parted; just one of these would be worth a fortune. His face lit up; he'd definitely win the competition with Aure at this rate! He froze mid-walk, paling. Just how long had he been down here, exactly? Better yet, was everyone else alright?

Looking up, it was like staring out of an abyss. He doubted his ability to fly out from how steep it looked, trying to convince himself it wasn't as bad as it looked. Malefor placed a claw on a chunk of Obsidian, debating on how to explain himself. Aure would never believe him; Trevor might, and he had absolutely no idea what Glacia would say.

Better yet, what would his parents say?

Shaking off the doubt, Malefor grabbed a chunk of Obsidian. If he couldn't explain it properly, he could say he saw Obsidian and went to grab it. It'd get him deeper into the hole, but not as deep as 'lying' would. With a sigh, he spread his wings, propelling himself higher and higher.

The light filtered through, allowing him to see above. He couldn't see anyone, surprisingly. Landing above, he found no one. Only the remainders of the apes could be seen, but other than that, desolate. Continuing his trek back through the mine, he found nothing. Malefor soon understood why, though; when he walked out of the cave, it was in the dead of night.

"Oh _fuck._"

Aure stood before Josiah and Terra, grim-faced and ready to take whatever form of punishment they were ready to deal. She had just finished her story, watching their horrified reactions. Terra had gripped Josiah's claw, squeezing it tight. Josiah stared quietly before breaking the silence.

"You're sure you didn't find any trace of him?" He asked.

"Positive." Aure nodded. "I'm going to go back in the morning if he doesn't turn up."

"I'll come with you." Terra offered. "I can see if the Elementals have seen him."

Aure smiled faintly. "I'd appreciate it."

"Don't whisper, Aure." Josiah said softly. "We're as worried as you are, and we don't blame you in the slightest."

"It was slightly foolish to bring Trevor and Glacia along, but it was nice to see Malefor taking an interest..." Terra said in a slightly scolding voice.

"That's what I said." Aure replied, glancing outside. It was too dark to see anything out of the house.

"Get some rest, Aure." Josiah told her. "Can't have you tired when we're searching."

She found no disagreement, departing shortly afterward. Although they didn't blame her, Aure felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and despair. What if he was dead? How could she live with herself? She wouldn't be able to show herself in public, even if no charges were pressed. Never able to return, forced to resign as Guardian.

Before she knew it, tears had streamed down her face, a black hole in her gut. Leaning against a house, she collapsed in pain. What felt like a crushing weight was placed on her neck and shoulders, nearly flattening her to the ground. She silently called out to anyone who could bring Malefor home; she didn't care who.

Aure collected herself after a moment, head held low, tail dragging on the ground. Her home was thankfully not that far, but it felt like miles. When she walked into her door, she heard someone else move as if they were startled. Thinking it to be a burglar, Aure used her grief as a weapon, unleashing a powerful gust.

The cry that the intruder made froze her body. Turning on the light, she saw Malefor against the wall, raising his body slowly. He shuddered as if he was hurt, holding his chest, blood dripping from his maw. Malefor locked eyes with her, all color fading from him.

"...Hi." Malefor choked out.

Aure didn't know if she wanted to hug or kill him.

"Where have you been?" Aure inspected the purple dragon, thinking if she had any Citrines on her.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Malefor looked at her guiltily. "Have you been...crying?"

"Yes, yes I have." Aure gave him a hard look. "So you better have a damn good explanation not just for me, but for Trevor and Glacia...and your parents."

"Uhh...again, you wouldn't believe me."

"Then I'm going to get permission from the other Guardians to confine you to your room after that."

"Not necessary, I'm fine. See?"

"Bullshit, you're relapsing and you're miraculously healed when Glacia told me your condition before you disappeared!"

Malefor shut his maw, looking away. "Well...really don't have anything other than this." He produced a chunk of Obsidian from his pouch; Aure noticed Citrines glinting in the bag. "Found this at the bottom of the pit."

"So you were down there." Aure snatched his pouch, taking out a Citrine. "Very well, if you're not going to give me a proper answer, then at least explain this to me."

"Stocking up for next time?"

"You are in your cycle now, so unless you magically found ways to get it, you've had this for some time." Aure tossed it back. "I'm very, very tired of this, Malefor, so I am nipping this in the bud; if you continue to lie and avoid me, I'll just back off. I'll leave you alone. I won't ask, I won't even speak if I mean so little that you keep important things away from me."

"It's not like that, I promise." Malefor stood up to meet her gaze. "I just don't like having you fret over me; it's not fair to you or anyone else. I'm not young anymore; I've been in war, and I'm going back soon." He placed a claw on hers. "I'm not your little brother anymore; I'm growing up."

Aure gave a smiling sigh after a moment. "You're right." She said. "I need to stop seeing you like you are ten."

"You do that, I'll promise to keep you involved more."

"Very well, I promise to let you grow up." Aure pulled him into a hug. "I'm still gonna worry, you know."

"That's fine; just don't lock me in my room again." Malefor returned the hug.

"Oh, after this, I offer no guarantees." She grinned. "You're not going to be doing anything super physical until you get better, that's for sure. Plus, I think your parents will want you locked up after nearly losing you."

Malefor paled. "Can I crash with you tonight?"

"If your parents freak out and stuff, yes, but you need to tell them." Aure gave him a stern look. "I'll go with you, though."

Malefor nodded, and together they ventured outside. Aure felt an overwhelming sense of relief to see the younger dragon beside her; all of the pain and anguish melted away. Even the urge to strangle him had vanished. Still, something nagged at her mind.

"Why did you invade my home instead of going home?" she asked.

"Mid-flight, I relapsed, so I landed in the first place I knew." Malefor said simply. "Is everyone else alright, though?"

"Yeah, Glacia was able to recover, and Trevor went back to his dorm not too long ago."

"Ack, I forgot my stuff there."

"You can get it in the morning; I'm sure Trevor won't get rid of it."

Malefor braced himself before knocking. A scramble of claws could be heard, and when the door opened, it was Tirer who had answered. She stared blankly at Malefor, rubbing her tired eyes as if trying to awaken from a dream. Malefor could only smile before being pulled into a tight embrace.

Tirer called for his parents, who showed up not ten seconds later. Malefor spoke so Terra could hear him, and before he knew it, he was pulled inside. Aure stood outside, snickering at how the purple dragon was smothered. Try and he might to escape, he knew it was better not to. Instead, he grabbed Aure and pulled her in.

The night went by remarkably smoothly. They asked how he survived such a fall, and again he had to be vague. If he started off about a mystery dragon, it may send the wrong message. Plus, he couldn't quite help but feel like the dragon was genuinely trying to help; the second meeting, whenever that was, would prove it to be true or false.

What he did say, though, was that he found a ton of Obsidian. "That'll help with the wall." Terra said. "You'll have to show us."

"Will do after class." Malefor promised.

"Good, but be warned; while I may not be dealing punishment, the other Guardians are going to want to grill you for information."

Malefor choked on his drink.

"They're gonna want to know how the apes ambushed you." Josiah explained, having just said goodnight to Tirier.

"I really want to know that myself." Malefor muttered.

"It's like they knew from what I get from Glacia and you." Aure glanced down at him. "It doesn't explain how they got a siege weapon in there, though."

None of them could come up with a logical explanation...other than Malefor, but he kept it to himself. His thoughts were that someone had to have tipped them off, be it voluntary or not. It still didn't explain how they knew exactly where he was going to go, but perhaps there were more Apes in the mountain and he had simply ran into one group.

It was very late when he finally decided he was going to bed; he'd regret it in the morning, especially if he planned on going to class. His parents told him not to worry if he decided to skip, but he felt obligated to go and at least check on Trevor and Glacia. Curling up in his bed, he fell into several coughing sprees before having to absorb two Citrines. Afterward, his breathing regulated, and he fell into a comforting sleep.

"How?"

Malefor knew the instant he walked into Dante's class that he was going to be interrogated. He had accidentally slept through Elektren's period, which was first today, and barely managed to make Dante's. The moment he did, Dante stared at him, Malefor knowing that he was in for a serious talk. However, the small joy he did get was interjecting Glacia and Trevor's conversation about yesterday, which drew cruel satisfaction.

"Long story." Malefor replied to Glacia. "Did find a bunch of Obsidian, though."

"...Well, that's good, but that doesn't explain your health." Trevor redirected him back to Glacia's question.

"I don't fuckin know, I just wound up healed at the bottom of the cavern. Last thing I remember before that was Glacia flying back up."

"Yeah, you just about died right there." Glacia said with a faint frown, turning back to the dummies, where a few students were launching their attacks. Dante stood far back, almost as if he were edging towards Malefor. "I'm going to be called up next, but when I get back, we're continuing."

"If you insist." Malefor watched her go with a shrug. "Anything happen while I was out?" He peered at Trevor.

"No, shockingly." Trevor replied. "Your stuff is back in my dorm; I was gonna bring it to your home after."

"Cool, I'll be sure to be late to FB's class to grab it."

"You're not going to his class." Dante hovered over them. "You're gonna be coming with me soon as the replacement gets here. Glacia and Trevor as well."

"Can I not be grilled right now?" Malefor felt his good mood vanish.

"If it were up to me, I'd cut you a few day's slack, but we got a commissioner of the Council arriving, and he isn't one to waste time."

"Oh..." Malefor reflected on the other dragon, wondering if she may be a member of the council.

It was ten minutes until Dante began to escort them away. Glacia had returned before then, but Trevor filled her in, Malefor too distracted. As they left, he heard some of the students jeering at them, resisting the urge to spray water in their face. With a sigh, he readied himself for whatever was to come.

**Aight until someone reviews, and not a short 'continue!' thing or the like, consider this story dead on this site.**


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